Baroda handed Goa a crushing innings-and-135-run defeat in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the Panjim Gymkhana ground on Wednesday, with spinners Bhargav Bhatt and Mahesh Pithiya dismantling Goa’s batting line-up in both innings.
After opting to bat, Baroda piled up 472 for eight declared in their first innings, setting the platform for a dominant performance. Captain Atit Sheth narrowly missed a century with 99, while Mitesh Patel scored 81, Shashwat Rawat made 69, and Deepak Hooda contributed 52.
Goa’s first innings ended at 199 in 71.1 overs, handing Baroda a commanding 273-run lead. Snehal Kauthankar scored 50, and Lalit Yadav made 54, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to offer sustained resistance. Pithiya claimed five wickets for 58 runs, while Bhatt took four for 51.
Forced to follow-on, Goa resumed their second innings at 35 for one but could add only 103 more runs before being bowled out for 138 in 68 overs. Captain Abhinav Tejrana (47) and Shivendra Bhujbal (46) offered resistance, but Baroda’s spinners proved highly effective. Bhatt led the attack with five wickets for 32 runs, while Pithiya claimed four for 66. Bhatt finished with nine wickets in the match, while Pithiya also took nine across both innings, underlining Baroda’s bowling dominance.
The emphatic victory gave Baroda a memorable result, while Goa will need to address their batting frailties ahead of their next Elite Group A fixture.
Scorecard
Baroda – First Innings: 472/8 declared
Goa – First Innings: 199 all out
Goa – Second Innings (from overnight 35/1): 138 all out in 68.0 overs – Shivendra Bhujbal c SS Sharma b Bhargav Bhatt 46, Abhinav Tejrana c MG Patel b MV Pithiya 47, Snehal Kauthankar c MG Patel b RV Limbani 0, Lalit Yadav c MG Patel b Bhargav Bhatt 12, Darshan Misal not out 17, Deepraj Gaonkar lbw b MV Pithiya 0, Mohit Redkar b Bhargav Bhatt 0, Ruthvik Naik lbw b MV Pithiya 0, Vasuki Koushik lbw b Bhargav Bhatt 4, Shubham Tari b Bhargav Bhatt 0, Extras 10.
Bowling: Mahesh Pithiya 28.4-5-66-4, Rasikh Dar 5-1-6-0, Bhargav Bhatt 24-8-32-5, Priyanshu Moliya 2.2-0-5-0, Deepak Hooda 1-0-1-0, Atit Sheth 4-0-11-0, Raj Limbani 3-0-8-1.
