Visitors win by nine wickets for the first points of the season
Goa middle-order batsman Snehal Kauthankar (48) was the only saving grace as Goa collapsed in the second innings.
Photo Credits: Basil Sylvester Pinto
PANAJI
Cricket is rightly termed as a game of glorious uncertainties. High on confidence after a convincing away win against Kerala in their last Elite Group C engagement in Ranji Trophy, fortunes were to dramatically change for Goa against Pondicherry only days later at home.
The hosts were outplayed in three days by the visitors who secured their first points with an outright nine-wicket win in an extended final session at the GCA Academy Ground, Porvorim on Thursday.
Spin twins Ankit Sharma (6-61) and Sagar Udeshi (3-61) orchestrated a coup, bundling out Goa for an abysmal 167 in 58.3 overs in their second essay. In their chase, Pondicherry knocked off a measly 44-run target with the loss of only Paras Dogra (18).
Resuming at their overnight score of 299-6, Pondicherry added another 48 runs with the four wickets in hand to take a significant 124-run lead. Their first innings total of 347, their highest innings total in the ongoing First Class season, was propped up by K B Arun Karthik (122) who added nine runs to his overnight score, and all-rounder Ankit Sharma who played an able foil on Wednesday to Karthik with a well-made 78.
Faced with an uphill challenge and as a tactical ploy, Goa chose to promote a relatively experienced right-hander Suyash Prabhudesai to partner southpaw Ishaan Gadekar at the top. But the move to counter the pace-spin attack was soon to fail. Gadekar on 9 was caught at third slip by Gonnabattula Chiranjeevi off right-arm medium fast Abin Mathew. Ankit replaced Mathew from the pavilion end in the 13th over and it took him only a few deliveries to be rewarded with the wicket of Suyash (15), who nicked one to first slip, reducing Goa to 30-2.
Post lunch, wickets fell in a heap with slow left-arm orthodox Udeshi and right-arm offbreak Ankit among the spoils to hasten a collapse. Goa batsmen were victims of poor shot selection and reckless shots while the Pondicherry spinners maintained their control and discipline to reap rich dividends. As wickets fell at regular intervals, Kauthankar was the saving grace with a 49 (113b, 7x4) built on resolve and purpose.
One-down Manthan Khutkar (12) played a cross-batted shot to be trapped in front by Udeshi as Goa lost their third wicket with only 60 on board. Captain Darshan Misal was uncharacteristic with his dismissal when on 12, he played a glamour shot at long on to be taken by Mathew off Ankit. Much in a similar vein, new man Siddhesh Lad on the second ball he faced, went for a similar shot to endure the same fate from the bowler-fielder combine and ended up bagging a pair in the match.
From the other end, Udeshi scalped keeper-batsman Eknath Kerkar, who did not trouble the scorers either and Mohit Redkar (1) as the Pondicherry slow bowlers left Goa in disarray at 96-7 by the 44th over. Goa were still trailing by 28 runs and faced the ignominy of an innings defeat. But for some late contributions from Arjun Tendulkar (20, 35b, 1x4, 1x6) and a cameo from number 10, Lakshay Garg with an unbeaten 23 (19b, 2x4, 1x6), Goa ensured the visitors had to bat a second time.
With only 44 runs required for an outright win, the visitors knocked off the runs in 19.1 overs in an extended last session. Makeshift opener Paras Dogra (18) was the only wicket to fall, trapped lbw by Misal. Opener Neyan Kangayan (17) and Krishna Pandey (10), promoted at one-down, completed the win.
SCORES: Goa 1st inns 223 in 84 overs (Darshan Misal 50*, Sagar Udeshi 5-76); Pondicherry 1st inns 347 in 107 overs (K B Arun Karthick 122, Ankit Sharma 78, Darshan Misal 5-111, Lakshay Garg 3-61); Goa 2nd inns 167 in 58.3 overs (Snehal Kauthankar 49, Ankit Sharma 6-61, Sagar Udeshi 3-61); Pondicherry 2nd inns 46-1 in 19.1 overs (Neyan Kangayan 17*, Darshan Misal 1-10)
