A six-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Sumit Sharma helped Odisha Mens Cricket Team draw their first match of an exposure tour to Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka Emerging Team at Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club in Colombo today. Sharma bagged the six wickets in the first innings of the three-day match, conceding 65 runs.

Opting to bat after captain Subhranshu Senapati won the toss, Odisha made a modest total of 188 in the first innings with Swastik Samal as the top scorer. In reply, the Sri Lanka Emerging Team folded up for 154 as Sharma ran through their batting line-up like a knife in the butter.

After taking a 34-run first-innings lead, Odisha compiled 144 in the second innings to set up a target of 179 runs for opposition to win the match. The home team was 12 for no loss in the second innings when the match ended in a draw.

A 24-member Odisha team, accompanied by seven support staff and six observers, is touring Sri Lanka to play a total of seven matches, which include four three-day and three one-day games.

MATCH RESULT (24-26 April 2025, at Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club, Colombo): Odisha 188/10 in 53.1 overs (Swastik Samal 45, Rajesh Mohanty 43; Melan Hansaka 4/68, Shiran Fernanda 2/13) and 144/10 in 34.3 overs (Sandeep Pattnaik 45, Subhranshu Senapati 26; Ravindu Fernando 3/20, Melan Hansaka 2/48) drew with Sri Lanka Emerging Team 154/10 in 36.4 overs (Ravindu Fernando 30, Shiran Fernando 25; Sumit Sharma 6/65, Rajesh Mohanty 2/45) and 12/0 in 3.4 overs.
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PHOTO: Odisha bowler Sumit Sharma, who bagged six wickets in their drawn three-day match against Sri Lanka Exmerging Team in Colombo.