Koushik and Deepraj take four wickets each; Unbeaten century by Snehal Kauthankar
PANAJI
An unbeaten century by opener Snehal Kauthankar and four-wicket hauls by captain Deepraj Gaonkar and V. Koushik powered Goa to a commanding six-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh, as they opened their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite campaign in style. Goa chased down the target with 35 balls to spare, restricting Chhattisgarh to 233 in 48.5 overs before reaching 234 for 4 in 44.1 overs. The match was played on Wednesday at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground, Jaipur. Snehal Kauthankar was adjudged Player of the Match.
Chasing the target, Goa got off to a solid start with a century opening stand. Kashyap Bakhle continued his fine form, adding 101 runs for the first wicket with Snehal Kauthankar in 20.5 overs. Bakhle scored 48 off 68 balls. However, quick dismissals of Abhinav Tejrana (13) and Suyash Prabhudesai (2) reduced Goa to 130 for 3. Snehal then stitched a crucial 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Lalit Yadav to take Goa past the 200-run mark. Lalit contributed 43 runs. Snehal remained unbeaten on 107, facing 116 balls and hitting 10 fours and a six. Captain Deepraj Gaonkar was not out on 11.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Goa invited Chhattisgarh to bat first. Tiwari and Pandey provided a 43-run opening stand before Koushik broke the partnership by dismissing Tiwari. Chhattisgarh soon slipped to 64 for 3. Wicketkeeper Mayank Verma (64) and captain Amandeep Khare (76) then added 114 runs for the fourth wicket to steady the innings. Deepraj dismissed Mayank to end the partnership, after which Chhattisgarh's innings went into decline, collapsing from 178 for 3 to 202 for 8. Koushik wrapped up the innings by taking the last two wickets on consecutive deliveries, as Chhattisgarh were bowled out for 233.
For Goa, captain Deepraj Gaonkar returned figures of 4 for 35 in 10 overs, while Koushik claimed 4 for 40 in 9.5 overs. Youngster Samit Mishra and experienced spinner Darshan Misal picked up one wicket each. Goa will play their next match against Himachal Pradesh on the 26th.
