Teenager Kartik Yadav’s first five-wicket haul this season helped former Ranji Trophy champions and hosts Uttar Pradesh complete a 68-run win over Goa on Day 3 of their Elite Group A match at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing 236 for victory, Goa were 167 all out in 46 overs in the second innings as UP wrapped up victory with over a day to spare. Young left-arm spinner Kartik Yadav returned superb figures of 5/37 from 14 overs. Pacer Vaibhav Chaudhary chipped in with 3/33, while leg spinner Zeeshan Ansari took 2/54, ensuring Uttar Pradesh completed a deserved victory.
Having taken six wickets in the season opener against Bihar at Rajgir, where UP won by an innings and 267 runs, Kartik Yadav had the Goa batters in a spin with his quick ones even on Day 3.
Deep Dive
How did Kartik Yadav help Uttar Pradesh beat Goa in the Ranji Trophy?
Why did spin play a key role in Uttar Pradesh’s win over Goa?
How did Aryan Juyal help Uttar Pradesh set Goa a target of 236?
With a slender first innings lead of 38, UP needed a strong second innings and captain Aryan Juyal delivered. After Abhishek Goswami and Madhav Kaushik fell without scoring in the first four balls, Juyal held the innings together with a composed 74 off 143 deliveries (6x4). His knock gave the lower order the platform to push the total to 197.
Karan Sharma made a useful 31 and Kartik Yadav nine. But it was No.10 Yash Dayal’s late flourish that changed the complexion of the innings. Dayal smashed 36 off 14 balls (3x4, 2x6). His cameo, and Aaradhya Yadav’s unbeaten 13, helped add crucial runs and stretched UP’s lead to 235.
{{/usCountry}}Karan Sharma made a useful 31 and Kartik Yadav nine. But it was No.10 Yash Dayal’s late flourish that changed the complexion of the innings. Dayal smashed 36 off 14 balls (3x4, 2x6). His cameo, and Aaradhya Yadav’s unbeaten 13, helped add crucial runs and stretched UP’s lead to 235.
{{/usCountry}}Pacer Yash Kasvankar again troubled the hosts, finishing with 5/69, but Goa were left to chase 236, a target that always was challenging on a deteriorating Kanpur pitch.
Goa’s chase never gained momentum. Shivendra Bhujbal was stumped off Ansari for 12, and though Suyash Prabhudessai made an aggressive 72 off 106 balls, wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Kartik Yadav struck at regular intervals, removing Snehal Kauthankar, Kasvankar, Ruthvik Naik and Vasuki Koushik, while Chaudhary cleaned up the middle order with three scalps.
From 153/5, Goa lost the last five wickets for 14 runs, Kartik Yadav completing his five-for and sealing victory. It was his second five-wicket innings haul in five first-class matches.
UP’s victory was built on contributions from every department. Rinku Singh’s hundred rescued the first innings, captain Juyal’s knock anchored the second, Dayal’s cameo provided the late impetus, and the spin trio of Kartik Yadav, Zeeshan Ansari and Chaudhary did the damage with the ball.
With their second win, UP will take plenty of confidence from the way their bowlers performed on a spin-friendly surface. With 13 points from two matches, UP next face Puducherry away from October 26 to 29.
“We wanted to win this match at all costs as we wanted to continue our winning streak. Everyone played his part nicely. Batters created opportunities for our bowlers to do their jobs nicely,” UP coach Gyanendra Pandey said after the match.
Brief scores: Uttar Pradesh 202 (Rinku Singh 118*, Yash Kasvankar 5/86) & 197 (Aryan Juyal 74, Yash Dayal 36, Kasvankar 5/69) beat Goa 164 (Zeeshan Ansari 5/45) and 167 (Suyash Prabhudessai 72, Kartik Yadav 5/37). UP won by 68 runs.