Odisha earned three points by virtue of the first innings lead after their Ranji Trophy Group B match against Maharashtra ended in a dull draw in Sambalpur on Tuesday.
The match was devoid of drama and the final script was more or less clear on the penultimate day's play.
After bowling out Maharashtra for 315 runs in the first essay, Odisha secured an all-important 126-run first innings lead on Day 3 after they were dismissed for 441 in their opening essay.
Although Odisha had an outside chance of winning the match, it faded soon as Maharashtra produced a much-improved batting display in their second innings.
Resuming at the overnight score of 73 for one, Maharashtra ended their second innings at 333 for five in 101 overs when the on-field umpires decided to draw curtains on the encounter.
Opener Harshad Khadiwale (92), Sangram Dilip Atitkar (88), Ankit Bawne (52 not out) and Chirag Khurana (52) utilized the opportunity to the fullest and got some much-needed batting practice ahead of the next Ranji encounter against Haryana, starting December 8.
Apart from medium-pacer Lagnajit Samal, who returned with figures of four for 68, all other Odisha bowlers struggled on the placid pitch of the Veer Surendra Sai stadium.
With the three points, Odisha (16) moved to second place in Pool B, just a point behind Uttar Pradesh.
The one point hardly helped Maharashtra, who are among the bottom-placed sides in Pool B with just five points from four outings.
Brief scores:
Maharashtra: 315 & 333-5 in 101 overs (Harshad Khadiwale 92, Sangram Dilip Atitkar 88; Lagnajit Samal 4-68).
Odisha: 441 all out in 129 overs (Niranjan Behera 103, Biplab Samantray 107; Samad Fallah 3-118).
