BASIL SYLVESTER PINTO
PANAJI
Goa will be worried and still licking their wounds after coming tantalisingly close to a win against Assam in Guwahati in their seventh round Elite Group C Ranji match of their lacklustre 2018-19 campaign. Their opportunity to swap positions with Tripura for the wooden spoon of the group fell short by an agonising seven runs against Assam, and thereby making their task all the more onerous as they are still adrift by four points to Tripura with difficult games coming up in their last two games against group leaders Rajasthan at home and against Odisha away in Bhubaneshwar.
In stark contrast, Rajasthan enter the multi-day starting on December 30 high on confidence, on the back of securing a first innings lead drawn result against Haryana in their backyard at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Rajasthan will prove the sternest test for the underperforming home side with the Jaipur-based outfit accumulating a handsome 37 points from nine matches with as many as five wins against only
two draws.
On the other hand, Goa languishes at the other extreme clutching a mere six points from securing first innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir and Services, both at home, from drawn engagements. Goa has been guilty of throwing away massive points by not seizing crucial moments in the game, a situation they can ill-afford at the business end.
After their two away North East matches in Agartala and Guwahati ended with no points in their kitty, Goa have much to do as they run into Rajasthan, the most consistent side in their group. Goa are desperate for a win that will give them some breathing space from relegation to Plate group in the next season.
The State team which resumed nets at Porvorim on Friday will be bolstered by the return of their frontline batsman Amogh Desai, who sustained an injury during the last home game against Services that ruled him out for the double-leg away tour. Exciting pace prospect, Vijesh Prabhudesai, who was ruled out in Guwahati owing to an injury, is under rehabilitation and his availability for the crucial match is uncertain.
Speaking to The Goan ahead of the Rajasthan game, Goa coach Prakash Mayenkar stated, “I have been telling them (his players) that they are doing well, but lapses at important moments in the matches which should have been a win for the team have had a dramatic turnaround in results.“The batsmen need to know how to score runs. Batsmen like Suyash Prabhudessai, Snehal Kauthankar who has been in good nick oft late need to make it count big with hundreds,” Mayenkar added.
He hoped that captain Sagun Kamat who has been only getting starts (18, 29, 21) since he resumed opening the innings turns around the corner for the overdue big score against Rajasthan to inspire his charges to an unlikely but not improbable result. He also backed dour opener, Sumiran Amonkar, their most reliable batsman through the season. “He (Amonkar) may be batting very slow even in this format but given the lack of runs by most other batsmen, he is justifying himself by facing the most difficult deliveries while shielding the others to follow from an attack when most potent.”
Goa will be up against a formidable batting order which revolves around 19-year-old southpaw, Mahipal Lomror and Robin Bist at Number 3 and 4 respectively. The promising Lomror who debuted for Team Rajasthan two seasons back, has racked up the two centuries as recent as in his last four innings (133, 85, 17 and 106). The 97 First Class veteran Bist, on his part looks in ominous touch notching an unbeaten 150 against Haryana in Jaipur few days earlier.
On the bowling front, Goa will be stacked up against the red-hot form of Rajasthan left-arm pacers in the vastly experienced Aniket Choudhary and his able ally, Tanvir Mashrat Ul Haq, who have picked up 40 and 36 wickets in their side’s successful campaign thus far.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan coach Amit Asawa looked into the game starting Sunday against the home team as an engagement like any Elite side in the group rather than a mismatched tie. “Every Elite side is a good team, and Goa is not any less. We take every game the same way without underestimating or overestimating our opposition,”
Asawa declared.
