PANAJI
The Goa team suffered a 15-run defeat against Maharashtra on Monday in their final Elite Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Chasing a target of 162, Goa were bowled out for 146 in 19.3 overs. The match was played at Salt Lake, JU Second Campus in Kolkata. A win in this match would have helped Goa climb to second place in the group.
After that, Goa's qualification for the knockout stage would have depended on the result of the Madhya Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir match. However, the defeat pushed Goa down to fourth place. Goa ended their campaign with 16 points, registering 4 wins and 3 losses in their 7 matches.
Goa won the toss and opted to bowl first. Maharashtra were once struggling at 61 for 4 in 9.3 overs. But Rahul Tripathi launched a clean assault on Goa's bowlers, smashing an unbeaten 83 off 44 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. Maharashtra posted 161 for 7 in their 20 overs. For Goa, Koushik picked up 3 wickets for 20, Heramb Parab took 2 for 31, while Darshan Misal and Deepraj Gaonkar claimed a wicket each.
Despite the target not being too stiff, Goa continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. They were reduced to a troubling 30 for 4 early on. Experienced all-rounder Darshan Misal entertained with a quick 31 off 18 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes. Lalit Yadav kept hopes alive with a fighting 49 off 38 deliveries, including 5 boundaries and a six. But from 128 for 5, Goa collapsed to 135 for 9, shattering their hopes of a comeback victory.
For Maharashtra, seasoned off-spinner Jalaj Saxena bagged 3 wickets for 22, Tanay Sanghavi picked up 3 for 23, and left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal also claimed 3 for 27. Rajvardhan Hangargekar chipped in with one wicket.
