Basil Sylvester Pinto
PANAJI
Goa in their Ranji Trophy tie at Cuttack against Services in Group C sit pretty at 333/2 at stumps on Day 1, Thursday. Put into bat, Goa were struck an early blow when their prolific opener, Swapnil Asnodkar returned to the pavilion without troubling the scorers. But from thereon, the Goa batsmen serviced Services on a leather hunt.
Coming in at one-drop, Sagun Kamat essayed a captain’s knock in company of the debuting 25-year-old opener, Sumiran Amonkar to forge a 237-run second-wicket stand until Amonkar was dismissed for 101 (195b, 14x4). Kamat found another able foil in the talented Snehal Kauthankar (35) to see the side through the day with an unbroken 91-run third-wicket stand with his own contribution being an unconquered 177 (267b, 26x4).
For Services, seamer Diwesh Pathania picked up both the wickets to fall in the course of the first day’s play.
Skipper Sagun Kamat whose previous highest First Class score has been 163 was asked if he would look at converting this knock into his first double ton. “I am not thinking about it (200). I just want to play things on merit like I did today,.” Sagun while speaking exclusively to The Goan from Cuttak, said. On the team’s strategy going into day 2, he revealed that he hopes to bat just once and put pressure on Services. “We want to win games that is all we are looking at,” he added.
Losing their earlier games meekly against Hyderabad in Surat and Jammu and Kashmir in Nagpur, Sagun admitted to the Goan team's lack of preparation ahead of the new Ranji season. “We played Ranji Trophy directly without any games. We did not have any sort of match practice. People got to have faith in our abilities. It is just a matter of time we get better. More we play, better we will get,” the Verem-resident stated.
With teams playing this season's Ranji on neutral venues on an experimental basis, a question on the pitches in their earlier games was imminent. “The wicket at Nagpur was tough but we could have applied ourselves better, while the one at Surat was a turner,” the Goa Ranji skipper revealed.
Sumiran Amonkar, the centurion on First Class debut whil reflecting on the day's efforts had this to say. “It was a feeling I cannot explain. Representing your State at the highest level is all I had dreamt of and playing with the likes of Sagun, Swapnil, Jakati, Saurabh is what I had always aspired. It feels great to get a hundred in my first game. I would like to dedicate this special ton to my parents who have worked day in and out for my career. My dad was a cricketer too who played for Salgaocars. And his dream is accomplished through me.”
