Chennai
Invited to bat first in the morning fixture, Tamil Nadu produced a below-par performance, managing only 136 for nine off its allocated overs. Despite a couple of early setbacks, Goa comfortably chased down its target with eight balls left in the bank.
Tamil Nadu made as many as four alterations to its playing eleven, including the return of regular skipper Vijay Shankar, who had missed the last two group games with a niggle. However, the incoming players couldn’t do enough to help Tamil Nadu maintain its winning run in the domestic T20 competition.
The Tamil Nadu batters failed to get going in the early stages of the contest since Goa bowled with utmost discipline in favourable conditions. The defending champion was in a spot of bother at 56 for 5 in the 11th over, but Sanjay Yadav (38 off 29 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) and Shahrukh Khan (26 off 24 balls, 3 fours) provided some stability to the innings with a 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
But, both the batters were dismissed in the 19th over by left-arm medium pacer Shrikant Wagh (4/36), who let the ball do the talking with a four-wicket haul. Shrikant, who opened his account with the scalp of opener C Hari Nishaanth (10) in the third over, also removed M Mohammed (0) in the penultimate over of the innings.
Goa got off to the worst possible start, losing skipper KD Eknath as well as No.3 batter Lakshay Garg for nought. With his medium pacers, debutant Saravana Kumar (2/17) struck the timber twice in the first over as the Goa scorecard read 4 for 2.
Opening batter Aditya Kaushik (41 off 43 balls, 4 fours) and Shubham Ranjane (52 not out off 42 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) then resurrected the chase with a 66-run stand for the third wicket before the former was sent back to the dugout by Mohammed (1/26).
On course to achieve victory, Goa sailed to its target in 18.4 overs, courtesy of the 70-run alliance for the unbroken fourth wicket between Shubham and Suyash Prabhudessai (43 not out off 24 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes). Tamil Nadu, which dropped to third in the Elite Group A table, will face Punjab in a must-win match at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday.
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