PANAJI
Goa endured a disappointing start in the CAP U-19 Men's Inter State One-Day Tournament (Siechem Trophy 2026), going down to hosts Pondicherry by 110 runs despite a spirited half-century from all-rounder Mihir Kudalkar at the Siechem CAP Ground 4 on Monday.
After opting to field first, Goa were unable to contain Pondicherry's batters, who piled up 342 for 7 before bundling Goa out for 232 in 43.1 overs.
Having won the toss, Goa skipper Afridsab Rajakkannawar chose to bowl first, but Pondicherry recovered from an early setback through a dominant 227-run partnership between Aahill Kachru (118) and R. Jiviteshan (102). The duo laid the foundation for a massive total, while quick late-order contributions from Nayan Chopra (49), Dharmendra Kasana (21) and Srujan Sinhasan (21) propelled Pondicherry to an imposing 342 for 7 in 50 overs.
Among Goa's bowlers, Mihir Kudalkar was the standout performer, returning economical figures of 2 for 43 from his nine overs. Vedant Dabral also impressed with 2 for 47, while Mohit Yadav claimed two wickets in the closing stages. However, the remaining bowlers struggled to stem the flow of runs as Pondicherry finished strongly.
Facing a daunting target of 343, Goa made a promising start through opener Aaditya Kota, who struck a composed 54 off 55 balls, and Vinit Kamat, who contributed 37, as the pair added 87 runs for the opening wicket. However, once the opening stand was broken, Goa's innings lost momentum with wickets falling at regular intervals. Captain Afridsab managed 20, while Aradhya Goyal added 22 before both were dismissed by Nayan Chopra.
With Goa reeling, Mihir Kudalkar produced an aggressive counterattack, smashing 61 off just 40 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes. His innings briefly revived Goa's hopes, but he received little support from the lower order. Goa eventually folded for 232 in 43.1 overs, falling well short of the target.
Pondicherry's victory was sealed by an outstanding bowling effort from Nayan Chopra, who ripped through Goa's batting line-up to claim 5 for 46 in 6.1 overs. Pinku chipped in with two wickets, while Hari Prasad MKS, Devansh Tiwari and Srujan Sinhasan took one wicket each to complete a convincing all-round performance.
