PANAJI
Table-toppers Goa produced a resilient batting display on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B clash against Madhya Pradesh, finishing at 256/8 at stumps at the GCA Academy Ground, Porvorim.
Coming into the match on the back of an unbeaten run — one win and two draws in their first three games — Goa elected to bat first, but Madhya Pradesh struck regularly to ensure the hosts never quite took full control of the innings.
Opener Suyash Prabhudessai, one of Goa’s form batsmen this season and Player of the Match in the last outing against Punjab, top-scored with a solid 65 off 119 balls. He anchored the innings through the middle session before being caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya.
Captain Snehal Kauthankar (41) and in-form all-rounder Lalit Yadav (41) made useful contributions, while senior pro Darshan Misal added a brisk 44 with four boundaries and a six.
Goa were comfortably placed at 213/5 before Saransh Jain’s late strikes dented their progress. The off-spinner was the most successful bowler for Madhya Pradesh, finishing with 4/72 from 23 overs.
At stumps, Deepraj Gaonkar remained unbeaten on 30, holding the tail together in the final session as Madhya Pradesh tightened the screws. Goa — who began the round on top of Group B with 11 points and a superior quotient over Karnataka — will be eyeing back-to-back strong performances to bolster their push for a quarter-final spot, with only the top two sides from the group advancing.
Madhya Pradesh, unbeaten but winless so far in the season with three draws, bowled with discipline through the day. Aryan Pandey (1/18) produced an exceptional spell of control, sending down 12.5 overs with seven maidens, while Shubham Sharma and Kuldeep Sen chipped in with a wicket each.
BRIEF SCORES
Goa 1st innings: 256/8 in 84.5 overs (Prabhudessai 65, Kauthankar 41, Yadav 41, Misal 44, Gaonkar 30*; Jain 4/72, Kartikeya 1/78, Sharma 1/29, Sen 1/32) vs Madhya Pradesh
