Team Herald
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PANJIM: Goa registered their second consecutive victory in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite cricket tournament after edging out Himachal Pradesh by eight runs in a nail-biting contest, played at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground, Jaipur, on Friday. An outstanding all-round performance by captain Deepraj Gaonkar, a well-crafted century by Lalit Yadav and a crucial half-century from Suyash Prabhudesai powered Goa to the hard-fought win.
Batting first, Goa posted a competitive 285 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs and then bowled out Himachal Pradesh for 277 in 49.3 overs.
Chasing a stiff target, Himachal Pradesh made a steady start through a 58-run opening partnership between Innesh Mahajan and Ankit Kalsi. Goa, however, struck back in quick succession to reduce the opposition to 60 for 3 within a matter of deliveries. The dismissal of captain Mridul Suroch soon after further dented Himachal’s chase, leaving them struggling at 70 for 4.
With wickets tumbling at one end, No. 4 batsman Pukhraj Mann waged a lone battle, compiling a valiant 126 off 119 balls, studded with 14 fours and three sixes. Mann kept Goa under pressure with a series of small partnerships, but his resistance was finally broken in the 46th over when Deepraj Gaonkar dismissed him to complete an outstanding five-wicket haul. Despite some resistance from the lower order, Himachal Pradesh eventually fell short of the target.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh won the toss and opted to bowl. Goa’s top order faltered early, with the team reeling at 33 for 3 in 9.3 overs. Suyash Prabhudesai and Lalit Yadav then rebuilt the innings with a vital 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Suyash played a composed knock of 51 off 63 balls, striking five fours.
Following Suyash’s dismissal, Darshan Misal departed cheaply and Goa slipped into further trouble at 150 for 5 in 32.4 overs. Captain Deepraj Gaonkar, batting at No. 7, then launched a blistering counterattack, smashing 71 off just 48 balls with six fours and two sixes. At the other end, Lalit Yadav brought up a well-deserved century, scoring a measured 104 off 126 balls, including five fours.
After Lalit’s dismissal, Rajshekhar Harikant added valuable late runs with an unbeaten 16 off 10 balls to boost Goa’s total. Goa, however, lost three wickets — Deepraj Gaonkar, Rajshekhar Harikant and V. Koushik — in the final over of the innings.
Goa’s next match will be against Sikkim on the December 29.
BRIEF SCORE
Goa 285 for 9: (Snehal Kauthankar 11, Kashyap Bakhle 4, Abhinav Tejrana 4, Suyash Prabhudesai 51, Lalit Yadav 104, Darshan Misal 13, Deepraj Gaonkar 71, Rajshekhar Harikant 16*, Arjun Tendulkar 1*, V. Koushik 3, Extras 7; Rohit Kumar 5/55, Mridul Suroch 2/50)
Himachal Pradesh 277 all out : (Innesh Mahajan 21, Ankit Kalsi 34, E.C. Sen 0, Pukhraj Mann 126, Mridul Suroch 6, Amanpreet Singh 9, N.A. Sharma 31, A.P. Vashisht 15, Rohit Kumar 15, Vaibhav Arora 7*, Aryaman Dhalival 5, Extras 8; Deepraj Gaonkar 5/50, V. Koushik 2/34, Shubham Dessai 1/47, Darshan Misal 1/41).
