Lalit Yadav’s Fighting 85 Not Enough as Hyderabad Crush Goa by 7 Wickets

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral Sports Desk

Goa suffered their second defeat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Cricket Tournament as Hyderabad outplayed them with a commanding seven-wicket victory at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After losing the toss, Goa were put in to bat and struggled early when openers Arjun Tendulkar and Ishan Gadekar fell cheaply.

Abhinav Tejarana brought some momentum with a fluent 21 off 14 balls, followed by a steady 23 from Deepraj Gaonkar. The innings revived when Lalit Yadav once again stepped up under pressure, producing a stunning unbeaten 85 off 48 balls that featured 10 fours and 3 sixes. He lifted Goa from a shaky 67 for 4 to a competitive total of 160 with the help of Darshan Misal, who contributed 18 in their 93-run partnership. Hyderabad’s bowling was led by Tanay Thyagarajan, who returned impressive figures of 2 for 20.

Hyderabad’s chase began with clear intent as they attacked from the start and never allowed Goa to settle. Captain Pragyan Reddy spearheaded the pursuit with a match-winning unbeaten 67 off just 34 balls, an innings studded with powerful strokes including 4 fours and 5 sixes. Aman Rao supported him well with a solid 40 as Hyderabad raced to 166 for 3 in only 14 overs. Goa bowlers Deepraj Gaonkar, Darshan Misal and Vikas Singh picked up a wicket each but were unable to stem the flow of runs.

With this loss, Goa remain on 4 points in the Elite B group. The team will look to bounce back in their next fixture against Madhya Pradesh on December 2 as they continue their campaign in the tournament.