PANAJI
Chhattisgarh Right arm medium pacer Ashish Chouhan wreaked havoc exploiting helpful conditions with a brilliant morning spell to end up with dream returns of 7/68, as Chhattisgarh seized the initiative on the opening day of the fourth round fixture of the Col CK Nayudu Trophy against hosts Goa in Porvorim on Sunday.
Asked to bat first, Goa folded meekly for 207 in 63.4 overs. Opener Vaibhav Govekar top-scored with a painstaking 69 (105b, 11x4). Govekar cashed in on an early life when on nought he was dropped by Prateek Yadav at first slip off pacer Chouhan. Only six runs were on the scoreboard at the point, but shortly after, with only a run added to the total, his partner, Yash Porob (6) was scalped by Chouhan. There was no letting up from the pacer as Kaushal Hattangadi (4), Kashyap Bakle (8) and Yogesh Kathankar (0) found Chouhan too hot to handle.
The home side were under the cosh at 32-4 after 12 overs with Chouhan dismantling the top-order single-handedly. Watching the collapse from one end, Govekar on 6 (35b) was joined by Deep Kasvankar out in the middle and the duo brought semblance to order with their fifth-wicket alliance. Goa went to lunch placed at 110-4 in 31 overs with Govekar on 52 (87b, 9x4) and Kasvankar on 29 (64b, 4x4). Upon resumption, it did not take Chhattisgarh’s go-to bowler, Chouhan too much time to be among the wickets again. Kasvankar was next to go after contributing 34 (76b, 5x4) in an innings reviving fifth wicket partnership of 85 (130b) with Govekar. Goa had lost half their side with 117 on the board, Keeper-batter Vasu Tiwari did not trouble the scorers much, contributing a solitary run, and while the lower-order tried their best with useful scores, the eventual first innings total Goa managed in the end was well below par.
In reply, Chhattisgarh had reached 45/1 in 18 overs, trailing by 162 runs when stumps were called. Opener Sanidhya Hurkat on 28 and Prateek Yadav on 7 were at the crease. Aditya Singh (10) was the lone wicket to fall for the visitors with Left arm Slow Orthodox Keith Pinto cleaning him up.
