BASIL SYLVESTER PINTO
PANAJI
Goa Lions continued their winning ways by prevailing over a formidable Indian Oil Corporation by five wickets in a low-scoring affair in a Group B encounter of the Goa Corporate League 2019, at GCA Academy ground in Porvorim on Tuesday.
Electing to bat first on winning the toss, IOC’s decision proved fatal as they had a catastrophic start they could not really recover from. At 6/4 inside three overs, they were looking down the barrel. Promising India player Prithvi Shaw (2), stumper Ankush Bains (2), and seasoned domestic players like Siddesh Lad (2) and Ravikanth Shukla (0) came and went as Lions’ skipper Amogh Desai, teaming up on pace duties with speedster Felix Alemao upfront, shared the spoils.
Ricky Bhui (20) and Pinal Shah (17) tried to stomach a fight but perished after getting starts. From 60/8 after 15 overs, it would be all done and dusted soon for the Oilmen well inside their stipulated overs had it not been for their wagging tail. In the last three overs, Goa Lions leaked 42 runs as the Oilmen finished with 111/9.
IOC jack Anant Tambvekar tonked a 9-ball unbeaten 20 while Atith Sheth at nine made 18 (13b) and number 10, captain Rajesh Pawar scored a handy 14 not out. Desai’s impressed the most with his military medium pace as he had returns of 3/18 off his four-over quota.
However, replying to the tricky target, Goa Lions began disastrously as well. Captain Desai was cleaned up by Tambvekar as a steady procession ensued; the Lions whimpering to 29/5 at the start of the eighth over. The hosts though still had a lot of batting to come but out on the 22 yards, batting was not easy and the batsmen, in the talented young Vaibhav Govekar and Snehal Kauthankar had to first blunt the attack, build on a partnership, and gradually shift the momentum as they got set.
Govekar played a good hand with an unbeaten 46 in 44 balls laced with six boundaries as his senior partner Kauthankar, coming in at seven, struck a delightful match-winning knock of an unbeaten 53 in just 34 balls aided with five boundaries and three maximums as they took their side over the line at 115/5 in 17.4 overs with their magnificent 86-runs unbroken sixth wicket stand.
Kauthankar was later adjudged as the player of the match.
With two successive losses, IOC bow out of competition, while Goa Lions improve their chances to advance to the semifinals, each with a game still to play in Group B. While IOC will look to play for pride against RBI in their concluding fixture on March 7 at 6.30 pm, Goa Lions will look to top their group undefeated and move into the last-four for the first time as they take on Tata Sports on March 8
at 2 pm.
