PANAJI
On the concluding day of Vijay Merchant U-16 (2017-18) Round III South Zone clash against Tamil Nadu at Gymkhana ground, Hyderabad on Tuesday, Goa Colts' low middle-order staved off the embarrassment of a defeat in less than a session of play.
Goa Colts on winning the toss on Sunday, chose to bat first and put up 266 (113.3 overs) riding on opener Shvbham Sanjay Gajinkar's painstaking 93 (240b, 9x4). For the TN attack, H Prashid Akash emerged the wrecker-in-chief with 3/44. Tamil Nadu, in their first essay piled up 353/7 (122 overs) before declaration.
Tamil Nadu rode on fine hundreds by captain and opener, B Sai Sudarshan 102 (234b, 12x4) and an unbeaten 100 (175b, 9x4) by one-down bat, Mohana Kumar. For Goa, Udit Yadav picked up two wickets with their other major benefactor coming from three run-outs.
Goa Colts in their second innings, collapsed in no time to stutter at 15/4 after merely 5.5 overs with an unlikely defeat looming large. This was when Anand Tendulkar, batting at No 5, decided to play an unbelievable counter-attacking knock with Udit Yadav 29* (48b, 5x4) providing an ideal foil.
Tendulkar's frenetic unbeaten 73 came off just 50 deliveries studded with 13 boundaries and two maximums. He ensured his side escaped with a point from the drawn encounter with an unbroken 102-run stand for the fifth-wicket with Yadav in 97 balls when the match ended at 22 overs in Goa Colts' second dig. In his first knock, Tendulkar played sedately for 25 (61b, 3x4).
