Team Goemkapronn
Panaji: Goa registered their second successive win in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite tournament with an eight-run victory over Himachal Pradesh in a tense contest at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground in Jaipur on Friday.
Put in to bat, Goa recovered from early setbacks to post a competitive 285 for nine in 50 overs before bowling Himachal out for 277 in 49.3 overs. Captain Deepraj Gaonkar starred with a fine all-round performance, while Lalit Yadav struck a well-paced century and Suyash Prabhudesai contributed a crucial half-century.
Goa’s innings began shakily as the top order failed to settle, leaving the side struggling at 33 for three in the 10th over. Prabhudesai and Yadav then rebuilt the innings with a steady 90-run stand for the fourth wicket. Prabhudesai scored 51 off 63 balls, hitting five boundaries, before falling with the score at 123.
Goa slipped again after the dismissal of Darshan Misal to 150 for five, but skipper Gaonkar counter-attacked decisively. Batting at No. 7, he smashed 71 off 48 balls, including six fours and two sixes, providing the momentum Goa needed. Yadav anchored the innings to complete a composed 104 off 126 balls. A late cameo by Rajashekhar Harikant helped Goa cross the 280 mark, despite losing three wickets in the final over.
In reply, Himachal Pradesh made a steady start through Innesh Mahajan and Ankit Kalsi, but Goa struck in quick succession to reduce them to 60 for three. Captain Mridul Surroch fell soon after, leaving Himachal in trouble.
Pukhraj Mann mounted a strong resistance with a fighting 126 off 119 balls, striking 14 fours and three sixes, but lacked sustained support. Gaonkar broke the resistance by dismissing Mann in the 46th over, completing a five-wicket haul. Despite a brief lower-order push, Himachal fell short.
Goa will next face Sikkim on the 29th.
Brief Scorecard Goa:285/9 in 50 overs (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 not out 1, V. Koushik 3, Extras 7; Rohit Kumar 5/55, Mridul Suroch 2/50) Beat Himachal Pradesh:277 all out in 49.3 overs (Innesh Mahajan 21, Ankit Kalsi 34, E.C. Sen 0, Pukhraj Mann 126, Mridul Surroch 6, Amanpreet Singh 9, N.A. Sharma 31, A.P. Vashisht 15, Rohit Kumar 15, Vaibhav Arora not out 7, Aryaman Dhalival 5, Extras 8; Deepraj Gaonkar 5/50, V. Koushik 2/34, Shubham Dessai 1/47, Darshan Misal 1/41) rewrite in news agency format
