Skipper Kumar leads from the front as Bihar settle for draw
Unbeaten centuries by Skipper N Kumar and DK Singh on the final day saw Bihar force a draw against Orissa in their East Zone Under-22 match at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday
Natarajan Sriram
27-Dec-2000
Unbeaten centuries by Skipper N Kumar and DK Singh on the final day saw Bihar
force a draw against Orissa in their East Zone Under-22 match at the Barabati
Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday. Bihar got five points while Orissa had to be
content with three.
Opting to bat first, Bihar put up 285 on the board with N Kumar leading from the
front with a fine 63. Kumar shared a 83-run fifth wicket stand with DK Singh
(52). Then with the help of the tailenders, K Abhimanyu (50 not out) took the
score past the 250 run mark. Saurav Sahgal (4 for 61) and Barman (3 for 39) were
the pick of the Orissa bowlers.
In response, the Orissa batsmen struggled to face up to the Bihar attack and
were shot out for 150. RR Das (100) was the topscorer in an innings which saw
only one other batsman getting into the double figures. During a 183-minute stay
at the crease, Das faced 157 balls while finding the boundary ropes eight times.
Bihar in their second innings were cruising along and reached 183 for six when N
Kumar and DK Singh took firm control of proceedings. The duo put on an unbeaten
203-run partnership in 44.4 overs. They batted for nearly three hours before the
stumps were drawn on the final day. Kumar remained unbeaten with 100 (151 balls,
10 fours) while Singh was on 102 (134 balls, 15 fours).