Govinda Poddar
| Name | Govinda Poddar |
| Born | September 09, 1991 |
| Rourkela, Orissa | |
| Age | 31 years 199 days |
| Teams | Odisha, East Zone, India Red, India B, Indian Board Presidents XI |
| Nickname | Poddar |
| Bat Style | Right Handed Bat |
| Bowl Style | Right-arm offbreak |
Profile
Born in Rourkela, a western city in the state of Odisha, Odisha's Ranji Trophy captain Govinda Poddar first shot into prominence by making ripples in the age-group cricket. After a stint at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Poddar made his debut in the Ranji Trophy against Baroda at the Barabati Stadium in the 2010-11 season. He scored 106 runs from 333 balls in that game, signalling a new dawn for Odisha cricket, which had lost its way after the retirement of the state's glorious batch, which helped the team to its first-ever semi-final appearance in 2000-01.
But failures in the subsequent games didn't help Poddar's cause as he was left out from the team. But the inconsistent Odisha batting line-up forced the selectors to rethink about their decision and on the back of some solid performances in the Kalahandi Cup, OCA's premier domestic competition, Poddar made a comeback to the team and has been the mainstay since then.
Especially, the 2015-16 season was very much fruitful for the right-hander as he scored three centuries on his way to 555 runs in the Ranji Trophy and bailed Odisha out of a soup on more than one occasion. By hitting five sixes off Maharashtra spinner Shamshuzama Kazi in an over in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match, Poddar showed his hitting prowess and was called upon by Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise for a trial camp, which never transpired to an IPL contract, though.
Despite all that, Poddar did carry on his mission and led Odisha to the quarter-finals of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy after a gap of 16 years. In the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Poddar struck a couple of fifties and centuries to extend his purple patch, this time as a batsman. That ensured he got a call up to play for India A but unfortunately got out for a blob while given a chance to bat in the lower middle order. Even the Ranji season of 2017-18 was a moderate one for the Odisha skipper.
By Kumar Abhisekh Das
But failures in the subsequent games didn't help Poddar's cause as he was left out from the team. But the inconsistent Odisha batting line-up forced the selectors to rethink about their decision and on the back of some solid performances in the Kalahandi Cup, OCA's premier domestic competition, Poddar made a comeback to the team and has been the mainstay since then.
Especially, the 2015-16 season was very much fruitful for the right-hander as he scored three centuries on his way to 555 runs in the Ranji Trophy and bailed Odisha out of a soup on more than one occasion. By hitting five sixes off Maharashtra spinner Shamshuzama Kazi in an over in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match, Poddar showed his hitting prowess and was called upon by Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise for a trial camp, which never transpired to an IPL contract, though.
Despite all that, Poddar did carry on his mission and led Odisha to the quarter-finals of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy after a gap of 16 years. In the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Poddar struck a couple of fifties and centuries to extend his purple patch, this time as a batsman. That ensured he got a call up to play for India A but unfortunately got out for a blob while given a chance to bat in the lower middle order. Even the Ranji season of 2017-18 was a moderate one for the Odisha skipper.
By Kumar Abhisekh Das