28, 14, 7, 16 and 5 – these are Arjun Tendulkar's scores as Goa promoted him as opener in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. Against Bihar, in the run chase of 181, he was dismissed for a single-digit score on December 4. After the all-rounder’s underwhelming show, it was Suyash Prabhudessai who played the captain's knock, sharing a big partnership with opener Kashyap Bakle followed by Lalit Yadav's unbeaten cameo that helped Goa win the last over thriller by five wickets with a ball to spare.
Prabhudessai won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bihar got off to a good start as teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi played aggressively. The 14-year-old hit four sixes in his 25-ball 46. He was dismissed by Deepraj Gaonkar. Bihar skipper Sakibul Gani and Akash Raj shared a 65-run partnership for the second wicket. In the 15th over, Vasuki Koushik broke the partnership with Raj's wicket. He scored 40 runs from 31 balls. Gaonkar returned to dismiss Bipin Saurabh lbw.
Gani completed his fifty but could not help them finish with a flourish. Gaonkar dismissed him in the 18th over. The captain scored 60 runs from 41 balls, including four fours and three sixes. Gaonkar followed it up by dismissing R Pratap Singh for a golden duck. Wicketkeeper-batter Ayush Loharuka and Suraj Kashyap contributed with cameos before they became Tendulakr's victim in the final over. The left-arm pacer conceded 32 runs from his quota of four overs. Bihar managed to post 180/7.
Prabhudessai leads from front
In the run chase, Goa lost two early wickets as Saurabh Kashyap knocked over Tendulkar and Abhinav Tejrana off consecutive balls in the second over. Bakle and Prabhudessai took control of the run chase. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Prabhudessai reached his fifty from just 27 balls. In the 11th over, Goa crossed the 100-run mark. Bakle continued to anchor the innings and completed his fifty from 39 balls.
After set batters fall, Lalit leads to victory
Goa were 146/2 after 15 overs, rushing towards the target. But, in the 16th over, Suraj returned to dismiss Bakle. The opener scored 64 runs from 49 balls, including five fours and a six.In the 17th over, Mohammed Izhar trapped the skipper in front of the stumps. He scored 79 runs from 46 balls, including six fours and three sixes. When he departed, Goa needed 27 runs from 20 balls. Former Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Lalit Yadav hit two fours and ran hard between the wickets. Despite Vikash Singh falling in the penultimate over, Lalit led his team to victory off the penultimate delivery. He remained unbeaten for 21 off 12 balls. This is Goa's third victory of the season from five games.