PANAJI
Goa tightened their grip on their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B contest against Madhya Pradesh by stumps on Day 2, posting 284 before reducing the visitors to 181/7 at the GCA Academy Ground in Porvorim.
Resuming on their overnight 256/8, Goa added a further 28 runs on the second morning. Wicketkeeper Samar Dubhashi fell for 6, while Deepraj Gaonkar ” who shepherded the tail superbly on Day 1 ” completed a patient and valuable 51 off 81 balls with six boundaries. The hosts’ innings finally ended at 284 in 95.5 overs.
Saransh Jain (4/78) was the pick of the Madhya Pradesh bowlers, adding two wickets on Sunday morning to finish with a four-wicket haul, while left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya grabbed 3/88.
In reply, Madhya Pradesh endured a disastrous top-order collapse. Vasuki Koushik struck twice early, removing opener Harsh Gawli (9) and captain Shubham Sharma (16), while Arjun Tendulkar dismissed Yash Dubey (4) and wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri (6) to leave the visitors reeling at 25/3 and later 38/4.
Rishabh Chouhan (43) and Saransh Jain (48) staged a steady recovery in the middle session with a 54-run stand, but Lalit Yadav’s disciplined spell turned the tide again. The off-spinner removed both set batsmen to break MP’s resistance and return superb figures of 2/22 from 17 overs.
At stumps, Madhya Pradesh were 181/7 in 73 overs, still trailing by 103 runs. Aryan Pandey (21* off 88 balls) and Arshad Khan (15* off 28) showed resolve to survive the final session, but Goa remain firmly ahead in the contest.
With a first-innings lead in sight and momentum with their bowlers, the table-toppers will look to wrap up the innings early on Day 3 and push for a decisive result to strengthen their quarter-final ambitions. Madhya Pradesh, winless so far this season, will need a strong lower-order fightback to stay afloat.
SCOREBOX
Goa 1st innings: 284 in 95.5 overs (Prabhudessai 65, Gaonkar 51, Misal 44, Kauthankar 41, Yadav 41; Jain 4/78, Kartikeya 3/88, Sharma 1/29, Sen 1/34, Pandey 1/28)
Madhya Pradesh 1st innings: 181/7 in 73 overs (Jain 48, Chouhan 43, Pandey 21*; Koushik 3/33, Yadav 2/22, Tendulkar 2/34)
Madhya Pradesh trail by 103 runs
