Bhubaneswar: Odisha opener Swastik Samal produced a memorable innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he slammed a double century against Saurashtra in a Group D match today.

Playing at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur, Samal scored 212 runs, marking his maiden List A century, which turned into a double hundred. With this feat, he became only the eighth batter in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to cross the 200-run mark.

Samal’s 212 is now the joint fourth-highest individual score in the tournament. He shares this position with Sanju Samson, who had scored an unbeaten 212 for Kerala against Goa in 2019.

Swastik Samal powers Odisha's innings

Odisha found itself in trouble early after Saurashtra captain Harvik Desai won the toss and chose to bowl. The team lost three wickets cheaply, with batters dismissed for single-digit scores. Samal then steadied the innings and built a massive 261-run partnership for the fourth wicket with skipper Biplab Samantray.

Samantray played a vital supporting role, scoring 100 off 91 balls with seven fours and three sixes before getting out in the 47th over. Samal, meanwhile, anchored the innings with patience before shifting gears in the latter half.

The right-handed opener reached his half-century in 53 balls and completed his first List A hundred off 104 deliveries. As the slog overs approached, he accelerated sharply, finding the boundary with ease. His innings ended in the final over when he was dismissed by Chirag Jani.

Samal’s knock of 212 came off 169 balls and included 21 fours and eight sixes. His effort powered Odisha to a formidable total of 345 for six.

With this innings, Samal also broke a long-standing Odisha record. The previous highest individual List A score for the state was 145, scored by Biswa Mohapatra against Tripura in 2005.

Batters to score a double century in Vijay Hazare Trophy:

Narayan Jagadeesan: 277 vs Arunachal Pradesh (2022)

Prithvi Shaw: 227 not out vs Puducherry (2021)

Ruturaj Gaikwad: 220 not out vs Uttar Pradesh (2022)

Sanju Samson: 212 not out vs Goa (2019)

Swastik Samal: 212 vs Saurashtra (2025)

Yashasvi Jaiswal: 203 vs Jharkhand (2019)

Karn Kaushal: 202 vs Sikkim (2018)

Samarth Vyas: 200 vs Manipur (2022)