After recording four consecutive draws, Saurashtra finally got to winning ways in the Ranji Trophy and they did so by defeating Goa by an innings and 47 runs. The star of the show for the Jaydev Unadkat-led side proved to be left-arm spinner Parth Bhut, who recorded figures of 7/56 in Goa's second innings and played a key role in the team's victory on the fourth and final day.
Saurashtra batters dominate
Saurashtra had started the match on a highly impressive note with the bat. The team declared after posting a mammoth total of 585/7 thankks to some amazing knocks. Prerak Mankad was the top performer in the department, playing a sensational inning of 155. He was assisted well by Sammar Gajjar who also scored a fine century before getting dismissed on 116. Jay Gohil (68), Arpit Vasavada (81) and Hetvik Kotak (50) also contributed immensely to the total with their valiant half-centuries.
In reply, the Goa batters did put up an impressive fight in their first innings due to some stellar knocks. Abhinav Tejrana scored a stunning 118 while both Lalit Yadav (59) and Rajashekhar Harikant's (69) half-centuries saw them cross the 300-run mark. They could have gone on to score many more runs if it wasn't for spinner Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, who racked up figures of 6/98. With Goa getting bowled out for 358 runs, Saurashtra made the bold decision of enforcing a follow-on over them.
Bhut racks up incredible 7-fer
The second innings proved to be a nightmare for the Goa batters, who completely crumbled in front of left-arm spinner Parth Bhut, who recorded figures of 7/56. The side got bundled out for just 180 runs on the second occasion as Saurashtra inflicted a heavy defeat on Goa and moved to the fourth place in Elite Group B with 13 points, behind the likes of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Unadkar & Co. will be facing Punjab in their next fixture that will be held in January.
On the other hand, Goa stand fifth in the group with one win and two losses. Their next fixture will be against Maharashtra that will begin from January 22 as the second leg of the Ranji Trophy kicks-off.