Odisha made the most of helpful bowling conditions before rain brought an early halt to proceedings on the opening day of their weather-hit Ranji Trophy Elite Group C clash against Jharkhand in Bhubaneswar on Monday.After opting to bowl under overcast skies, Odisha reduced Jharkhand to 37 for three in 25 overs before persistent rain and bad light prevented any further play for the remainder of the day at KIIT Stadium.Odisha captain Subhranshu Senapati’s decision to field first paid immediate dividends as experienced seamer Rajesh Mohanty led the charge with the new ball. Mohanty struck in the third over, rattling opener Aryaman Sen’s stumps, before Jharkhand suffered another setback when out-of-form opener Sharandeep Singh was run out.Mohanty then dealt a further blow by removing in-form No. 3 batter Utkarsh Singh, inducing an outside edge to leave the visitors reeling at 15 for three in the 13th over.With Odisha firmly on top, Jharkhand faced the prospect of a deeper collapse before captain Virat Singh and Aditya Singh steadied the innings. The pair negotiated the challenging conditions and survived the next 12 overs without further damage, guiding the visitors to 37/3 at the close.Virat remained unbeaten on 14 from 65 balls, while Aditya was batting on 10 off 30 deliveries.No play was possible after the first session as rain continued to disrupt proceedings, washing out the entire second and third sessions.Jharkhand will now rely heavily on the unbeaten fourth-wicket pair to rebuild their innings on Day 2 after the top order’s failure left them in early trouble.Odisha, meanwhile, will look to capitalise on the favourable conditions once play resumes and press home their advantage with the ball in search of a modest first-innings target.Brief scores (in Bhubaneswar): Jharkhand 37/3 in 25 overs (Rajesh Mohanty 2/15) vs Odisha. Match to continue.