The Vijay Hazare Trophy season got off to a bang on Wednesday with many incredible sights, but one man quickly took the spotlight, 21-year-old Swastik Samal of Odisha. The opener played a performance for the ages with a stunning 212 off 169 deliveries against Saurashtra in Alur, adding himself to the record books of domestic cricket in India with one monumental innings.
Thus, with this innings, Samal achieved the distinction of becoming the first batter from Odisha to register a double century in List A cricket. Talking about his innings, it not only helped his team gain 345/6 in 50 overs but also created a record by surpassing Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 203 for Mumbai versus Jharkhand in the 2019 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy itself, which stood fifth at that time.
Pure class and complete dominance 💪
— Arshy (@imArshit) December 24, 2025
Swastik Samal shines with a magnificent double hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 🏏🔥
– 212 runs
– 169 balls
– 21 fours
– 8 sixes
A knock to remember 🌟#VijayHazareTrophy #VHT pic.twitter.com/yDUPnRnm7T
The environment made the innings even more special for him. Samal, who failed to get any bidding in the IPL 2026 auction like teammate Rajesh Mohanty, opened the innings and provided a steady start to his team, Odisha. However, Samal’s team was in trouble at 59/3 in close to 12 overs, and then he had to change gears.
Next came a lesson in control and resilience, as Samal and Captain Biplab Samantrai put together a mammoth partnership of 261 runs, which took 211 balls. Though Samantrai got a well-deserved century, Samal dominated this partnership, scoring 156 out of 261 runs.
Dismissed off the fourth ball of the final over, Samal’s work was done. His innings comprised 21 fours and eight sixes. He showed a great mix of powerful hitting and intelligent strokes. Interestingly, this was his 14th List A game, and he also achieved the 14th List A double hundred by an Indian.
Also Read: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025: Dhoni’s new CSK recruitment dazzles with 3 wickets, name is…
