The spotlight was firmly on Rishabh Pant, but the charismatic wicketkeeper-batter failed to deliver as Delhi's unbeaten run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came to a crashing halt. Odisha secured a commanding 79-run victory in a crucial Group D encounter on Wednesday, January 1, 2026, sending a warning to the national selectors ahead of the ODI squad announcement for the New Zealand series.
Pant's Struggles and Delhi's Batting Collapse
With the national selection committee set to meet in the first week of January, all eyes were on Delhi skipper Pant. However, the feisty left-hander could only manage 24 runs off 28 balls before being dismissed by pacer Debabrata Pradhan. His dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse as the much-vaunted Delhi batting line-up, which had previously been bailed out by individual performances, imploded spectacularly.
Chasing a very gettable target of 273, Delhi were bundled out for a paltry 193 in just 43.3 overs. This marked the first time this season that the team failed to cross the 200-run mark. The innings got off to a disastrous start, with openers Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ranjan falling for single-digit scores, leaving the team at 6/2. Pant's departure made it 50/3, and the score soon slumped to 55/5, making recovery nearly impossible.
Odisha's Clinical All-Round Performance
Odisha's victory was built on a solid team effort. After being sent in to bat, they posted a competitive 272 for 8. Veteran skipper Biplab Samantray anchored the innings with a crucial 72 off 74 balls, steadying the ship after early wickets. The lower order then chipped in with valuable contributions to frustrate a Delhi bowling attack featuring India players Navdeep Saini and Nitish Rana. The only bright spot for Delhi with the ball was off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen, who returned excellent figures of 4 for 27 in his 10 overs.
With the ball, Odisha's pace duo of Debabrata Pradhan (3/28) and Sambit Baral (3/34) wreaked havoc, effectively ending Delhi's resistance. A late fightback by Harsh Tyagi (43) and Hrithik Shokeen (32) only delayed the inevitable.
Tournament Standings and Other Key Results
The defeat had immediate consequences for Delhi in the points table. Despite being level on 12 points with Odisha, they slipped to fourth position due to an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR), with Railways and Haryana moving ahead. Odisha now sits at the top of Group D.
In other Vijay Hazare Trophy action, Sarfaraz Khan continued his sensational form, smashing a breathtaking 157 off just 75 balls for Mumbai against Goa. His innings, which included a staggering 14 sixes, powered Mumbai to a mammoth 444/8 and an eventual 87-run win. Meanwhile, Saurashtra defeated Andhra by 74 runs, thanks to a five-wicket haul by pacer Ankur Panwar.
The result puts Pant's form under intense scrutiny just days before the selectors pick the team for the upcoming ODI series, while Odisha emerges as a strong contender in the tournament.
