Sai Sudharsan laid the foundation with a fluent century. Captain Dinesh Karthik played the role of a finisher to perfection. T. Natarajan and Sandeep Warrier employed the short-ball ploy with the new ball. And R. Sai Kishore and Baba Aparajith’s spin came in handy.
As a result, K.V. Siddharth’s late charge could only reduce the margin of defeat for Goa as Tamil Nadu started its Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with a 33-run victory at the Dadoji Konddev Stadium.
When Lakshay Garg, having missed the opener due to a bout of viral infection, trapped N. Jagadeesan in front of the wickets in the fourth over and Arjun Tendulkar lunged forward to accept Sai Kishore’s (promoted to see off the new ball) return catch, Tamil Nadu had been reduced to 16 for two. Goa’s decision to let its pacers exploit early moisture was working.
