PANAJI
In their fifth match of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B, the Goa team faced a heavy defeat, going down to Saurashtra by an innings and 47 runs.
The match was played at Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Vadodara. Responding to Saurashtra's massive first-innings total of 585 for 7 declared, Goa were bowled out for 358 in 106.2 overs. Forced to follow on, Goa's batting collapsed in the second innings, denying them any chance of making Saurashtra bat again. Goa’s second innings folded for just 180 on Wednesday, the fourth day of the match. Among the Goan batters, only openers Manthan Khutkar (36) and Abhinav Tejarana (34) offered some resistance. For Saurashtra, Parth Bhut was the wrecker-in-chief, claiming 7 wickets for 56 runs.
After five matches, Goa stand fifth on the points table with 11 points, with a record of one win, two losses and two draws. Goa’s next challenge will be from January 22 to 25, when they take on Maharashtra at the Deccan Gymkhana Cricket Ground in Pune.
Goa's Abhinav Tejarana on top
After the completion of the first phase of the Ranji Trophy season five matches per team, Goa's very own Abhinav Tejarana sits proudly at the top of the run-scorers chart. In five matches, he has amassed 651 runs at an impressive average of 93.00, including three centuries and two half-centuries. Delhi's Sanat Sangwan is second with 627 runs, while Karun Nair occupies the third spot with 602 runs.
