PANAJI
Goa registered a dominant victory over Assam, winning by an innings in their four-day encounter of the Cooch Behar Elite Cricket Tournament (U-19). The match, played at the Bandodkar Ground of the Panaji Gymkhana, ended in just two and a half days, a testament to Goa's outstanding all-round performance.
Replying to Goa's massive first-innings total of 376 runs, Assam collapsed for just 75 runs in 35 overs. Goa, clearly in command, enforced the follow-on. Assam fared no better in their second attempt, getting bowled out for 86 runs in 41.2 overs. With this emphatic innings victory, Goa collected 7 points, 6 for the win and 1 bonus point.
Resuming at an overnight score of 48 for 4 on Day 2, Assam added only 27 more runs before being bowled out. Goa's bowlers were relentless. Mihir Kudalkar produced a brilliant spell, taking 3 wickets for no runs in just 3.2 overs. Samarth Rane picked up 3 wickets for 33 runs, while Chigurupati Venkata (2 for 21) and Yash Kasvankar (2 for 21) made key breakthroughs to wrap up Assam's first innings.
Assam could not recover from their first-innings failure. In the second innings, their captain, Dipankar Paul, remained unbeaten with 20 runs, but none of the other batters offered resistance. Kudalkar continued his magical form, grabbing 4 wickets for just 9 runs, while Kasvankar (2 for 19), Shiven Borkar (2 for 18), and Rane (1 for 16) contributed to another clinical bowling effort from Goa.
In Elite Group D, Goa now stands second with 14 points from two matches, level with Bengal, who remain on top due to the quotient. Goa had also defeated Chhattisgarh by an innings and 13 runs in their opening match, further highlighting the team's superb form and growing confidence in the tournament.
Goa's next match will be played from December 1 to 4 at the Sanguem Ground, where the team will look to continue its impressive run against UP.
