PANAJI
Goa went down to Hyderabad by 7 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Cricket Tournament on Sunday.
The match was played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Batting first, Goa put up a respectable total of 160 for 4. However, Hyderabad chased down the target in just 14 overs, scoring 166 runs for the loss of only 3 wickets.
Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bowl. The opening pair of Arjun Tendulkar (7) and Ishan Gadekar (1) failed to click. Abhinav Tejarana, who looked in good touch, scored 21 off 14 balls before getting out. Deepraj Gaonkar made 23 off 20 balls.
Once again, Lalit Yadav came to Goa's rescue. He smashed an unbeaten 85 off just 48 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and 3 sixes, lifting Goa from a shaky 67 for 4 to a competitive 160. He stitched a 93-run partnership with Darshan Misal, whose contribution was only 18.
For Hyderabad, Tanay Thyagarajan bowled an economical spell, taking 2 wickets for just 20 runs.
While chasing, Hyderabad pursued the target from the start. Captain Pragyan Reddy played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 67 off 34 balls, studded with 4 fours and 5 sixes. He received good support from Aman Rao, who scored 40. From the Goa side, Deepraj Gaonkar, Darshan Misal and Vikas Singh claimed a wicket each.
This was Goa's second defeat in the tournament. After losing the opener against UP, Goa bounced back to beat Chandigarh in the second match. Goa, placed in the Elite B group, stay on 4 points. Their next game will be against Madhya Pradesh on December 2.
SCOREBOX
Goa 160/4 (Lalit Yadav 85*, Deepraj Gaonkar 23; Tanay Thyagarajan 2/20) lost to Hyderabad 166/3 in 14 overs (Pragyan Reddy 67*, Aman Rao 40)
