PANAJI
Goa produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Oman by 126 runs in the third and final ODI at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat on Monday, and clinch the three-match series 2-1.
Put in to bat after Oman won the toss and elected to bowl, Goa posted an imposing 305 for eight in their allotted 50 overs, riding on a superb unbeaten century by Shivendra Bhujbal.
Bhujbal remained unbeaten on 143 off 135 balls, striking 11 fours and six sixes in a calculated and commanding innings. He received excellent support from experienced batter Snehal Kauthankar, who scored a quickfire 71 off 66 deliveries, including eight fours and two sixes.
The Bhujbal-Kauthankar (121) partnership provided the foundation for Goa's strong total, with Bhujbal's calculated strokeplay particularly helping the visitors accelerate during the latter stages of the innings. Goa's 305 gave Oman a challenging target of 306.
In reply, Oman struggled against Goa's disciplined bowling attack and were eventually bowled out for 179 in 38.1 overs. Jiten Ramanandi offered some resistance with a fighting 56 off 57 balls, but received little support from the other batters.
Goa kept making regular breakthroughs and prevented Oman from building any substantial partnership. Abhinav Tejrana was among Goa's leading bowlers, finishing with four wickets for 37 runs, while Deepraj Gaonkar claimed two wickets for 19 runs.
Gaonkar also completed the final wicket, dismissing Ramanandi to seal Goa's emphatic 126-run victory.
The result capped a strong comeback by Goa in the three-match ODI series. Oman had won the opening ODI by 25 runs, but Goa bounced back to win the second match by six wickets before producing their most emphatic performance in the series decider to seal the series 2-1.
Brief Scorecard
Goa - 305/8in 50 Overs (Snehal Kauthankar 71, Abhinav Tejrana 8, Shivendra Bhujbal 143 Not Out, Suyash Prabhudessai 33, Darshan Misal 15, Vikash Singh 6, Deepraj Gaonkar 1, Chittem Jeevenkumar 0, Heramb Parab 19, Felix Alemao Not Out 3, Extras - 6, Bowling - Faisal Shah 3/66, Siddharth Bukkapatnam 0/33, Shakeel Ahmed 1/48, Jiten Ramanandi 0/55, Saishiv Narayan 0/14, Hassnain Ali Shah 2/65, Mujibur Imran Ali 0/22
Oman - 179/10 in 38.1 Overs (Hassnain Ul Wahab 0, Jeet Shah 9, Mujibur Imran Ali 44, Hammad Mirza 29, Saishiv Narayan 14, Jiten Ramanandi 56, Vinayak Shukla 10, Hassnain Ali Shah 1, Faisal Shah 5, Siddharth Bukkapatnam 0, Shakeel Ahmed Not Out 0, Extras - 1, Bowling - Vasuki Koushik 1/29, Felix Alemao 1/29, Heramb Parab 2/36, Deepraj Gaonkar 2/19, Abhinav Tejrana 4/37)
