Swastik of Odisha scored a double century in Vijay Hazare Trophy, created history by scoring 212 runs.
Wednesday, 24th December became a historic day for Odisha cricket. In fact, opening batsman Swastik Samal got his name registered in the pages of history by playing a memorable innings against Saurashtra in Alur in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match. The right-handed batsman not only put his team in a strong position by scoring 212 runs in 169 balls, but also created history by becoming the first player to score a double century for Odisha in List A cricket.
This innings of Samal was also the fifth highest individual score in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy. During this period, he left behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record of 203 runs made in 2019. Thanks to his brilliant batting, Odisha scored a huge score of 345 runs at the loss of 6 wickets in its 50 overs, which is considered a big achievement against a strong team like Saurashtra.
Interestingly, Swastik Samal was recently a part of the IPL 2026 auction along with his teammate Rajesh Mohanty, but both of them did not find any buyer. However, through this inning, Samal proved that he is completely ready for the big stage. The 25-year-old batsman opened the innings for Odisha and provided a solid base for the team, but early dismissals of Om, Sandeep Patnaik and Govind Poddar left the team losing three wickets for 59 runs in 11.5 overs.
In this difficult period, Samal along with captain Biplab Samantrai handled the innings. Both of them made a huge partnership of 261 runs in 211 balls for the fourth wicket, which changed the direction of the match. In this partnership, Samantrai also scored a century, while Samal alone added 156 runs. And he was out on the fourth ball of the last over, but by then Odisha had reached a big score. His innings included 21 fours and eight skyscraper sixes, which reflects his aggressive thinking. This was his 14th List A match for Odisha and with this he became the 14th Indian batsman to score a double century in List A cricket.
Now Swastik Samal’s name has also been registered in the list of highest scores in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy, where legends like N Jagadeesan, Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson are already included. This innings will not only mark Samal’s career but will also be remembered for Odisha cricket for a long time.
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