Team Herald
PANJIM: An unbeaten century by opener Snehal Kauthankar and four-wicket hauls by captain Deepraj Gaonkar and V Koushik powered Goa to a commanding six-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh as they opened their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite campaign in style. Goa chased down the target with 35 balls to spare, restricting Chhattisgarh to 233 in 48.5 overs before reaching 234 for 4 in 44.1 overs in a one-sided contest played on Wednesday, at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground, Jaipur. Snehal Kauthankar was adjudged player of the match.
Chasing 234, Goa made a solid start with a century opening stand. Kashyap Bakhle continued his fine form, adding 101 runs for the first wicket with Snehal Kauthankar in 20.5 overs. Bakhle scored 48 off 68 balls before his dismissal. However, quick wickets saw Abhinav Tejrana depart for 13 and Suyash Prabhudesai for 2, reducing Goa to 130 for 3.
Snehal then anchored the innings with a crucial 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Lalit Yadav, taking Goa past the 200-run mark. Lalit contributed a valuable 43 before falling, while Snehal remained unbeaten on 107 off 116 balls, striking 10 fours and a six. Captain Deepraj Gaonkar stayed not out on 11 as Goa completed the chase comfortably.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Goa invited Chhattisgarh to bat first. Openers Tiwari and Pandey put on 43 runs before Koushik broke the stand by dismissing Tiwari. Chhattisgarh soon slipped to 64 for 3, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Wicketkeeper Mayank Verma (64) and captain Amandeep Khare (76) then steadied the innings with a 114-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The stand was broken when Deepraj dismissed Mayank, triggering a collapse as Chhattisgarh slid from 178 for 3 to 202 for 8. Koushik wrapped up the innings by claiming the final two wickets off consecutive deliveries, bowling Chhattisgarh out for 233.
For Goa, captain Deepraj Gaonkar returned figures of 4 for 35 from 10 overs, while Koushik picked up 4 for 40 in 9.5 overs. Youngster Samit Mishra and experienced spinner Darshan Misal chipped in with one wicket apiece. Goa will play their next match against Himachal Pradesh on the 26th.
Brief Scores
Chhattisgarh 233 all out in 48.5 overs (Amandeep Khare 76, Mayank Verma 64, A.G. Tiwari 29, Shubham Agarwal not out 19, Ayush Pandey 17, Extras 6; Deepraj Gaonkar 4/35, V. Koushik 4/40, Darshan Misal 1/39, Samit Mishra 1/42) lost to
Goa 234 for 4 in 44.1 overs (Snehal Kauthankar not out 107, Kashyap Bakhle 48, Lalit Yadav 43, Abhinav Tejrana 13, Deepraj Gaonkar not out 11, Suyash Prabhudesai 2; Shubham Agarwal 3/73, Ajay Mandal 1/40).
