Chandigarh reeling at 159-3 in second innings, trail by 270 runs as hosts' bowlers maintain pressure
PANAJI
A 12-wicket moving third day placed Goa in an enviable position for a favourable result in their opening round Ranji Trophy Elite Group B clash against Chandigarh at the Goa Cricket Association Academy in Porvorim on Friday..
The visitors already on the backfoot at the start of day 3, with 532 runs in arrears and a wicket down, began the morning session disastrously. Opener Arjun Azad perished at his overnight score, 21, taken smartly at point by Manthan Khutkar off Right arm Medium fast, Heramb Parab.
The other overnight batter, Chandigarh captain, Manan Vohra and new man, Bhagmender Lather.endeavoured a rescue act, but Goa's slow bowlers - Mohit Redkar and Darshan Misal had other plans. The spin twins combined for a double strike with Vohra (23) and Lather (27) succumbing in successive deliveries in the innings. While Vohra was taken at forward short leg by Kashyap Bakle off Right arm Offbreak, Mohit Redkar, Lather departed at the start of the next over off Slow Left arm Orthodox, Darshan Misal taken by the same fielder in a similar position. Reduced to 73-4, Chandigarh could not recover and collapsed like a pack of cards.
The visitors folded 10.3 overs after lunch for 137. Jagjit Singh Sindhu batting at number 8, showed a semblance of resilience top-scoring with a 72-ball 31. It was a combined bowling effort from the Goa attack with allrounders, Misal and Lalit Yadav claiming 3-fers, and Arjun Tendulkar, Mohit Redkar and Heramb Parab taking a wicket each.
Trailing by 429 runs, Goa stand-in captain, Deepraj Gaonkar enforced the follow on. But the after effects of their meek surrender in the first essay, seemed to shadow Chandigarh in their second dig as well.
Opener Shivam Bhambri went for a fourth-ball duck taken by Deepraj at second slip off Left arm Medium fast, Arjun Tendulkar. One-down, Manan Vohra did not last too long either with Goa's ace slow bowler, Misal claiming him for 1. Looking down the barrel at 13-2, Arjun Azad, on First Class debut, in alliance with Bhagmender Lather appeared determined to produce much better efforts with the bat this time around.
The pair forged an entertaining 84-run partnership for the fourth wicket in 128 deliveries, until Lather fell leg before to Right arm Offbreak, Lalit Yadav for a resolute 38. A K Kaushik who joined Azad at the crease matched his batting partner, for a stroke-filled counter-attacking innings.
Azad on 76 (109b, 9x4, 1x6) and A K Kaushik on 38 (49b, 3x4, 3x6) raised a plucky 62-run unbeaten fourth wicket stand in 80 deliveries to stomach a fight in the contest when stumps were drawn on the penultimate day. Chandigarh are 159-3 in 40 overs in their second innings, with a deficit of 270 runs and face a herculean task to save the match.
BRIEF SCORE
>Goa, 1st innings. 566 in 160.4 overs (Lalit Yadav 213, Abhinav Tejrana 205; Vishu Kashyap 7-173) vs Chandigarh, 1st innings. 137 in 53.3 overs (Jagjit Singh Sindhu 31; Lalit Yadav 3-17, Darshan Misal 3-27), Chandigarh, 2nd innings F/O. 159-3 in 40 overs (Arjun Azad 76*)
