Poorva Bhaidkar
PANAJI
After a solid start from the top-order trio of Purvaja Verlekar, Harshita Yadav and Tejaswini Duragad, followed by crucial contributions from No.6 Poorva Bhaidkar and No.8 Shreya Parab, the Goa women's team defeated Saurashtra by 16 runs in the Senior Women's One Day Trophy Elite match played on Tuesday.
Goa posted a challenging total of 272 for 8 in the allotted 50 overs and then restricted Saurashtra to 256 for 6 in 50 overs. With this victory, Goa, placed in Group C, climbed to fourth position on the points table with eight points.
The match was played at the Taurian World School Ground in Ranchi, where Goa won the toss and elected to bat first. Harshita Yadav (34) and Purvaja Verlekar (51 runs; 7 fours, 1 six) added 48 runs for the opening wicket. After Harshita's dismissal, Tejaswini Duragad (34) provided good support to Purvaja as the duo took Goa past the 100-run mark. However, both the set batters were dismissed in quick succession. Tanisha Gaikwad was out for a duck, and Goa slipped from a strong position of 122 for 1 to 124 for 4. Further setbacks followed as Diksha Amonkar (4) and Vinavi Gurav (4) were dismissed, leaving Goa in deep trouble at 147 for 6 in 30.4 overs. At this crucial stage, Poorva Bhaidkar and Shreya Parab steadied the innings and rebuilt the faltering batting order. Poorva played a fine knock of 72 runs off 73 balls, hitting seven boundaries, while Shreya once again proved her usefulness with the bat, scoring 42 runs off 45 balls with three fours. Presha Naik chipped in with a quick unbeaten 18 off 14 balls to help Goa cross the 250-run mark. For Saurashtra, T. Dharani was the most successful bowler, claiming four wickets.
Chasing a target of 273, Saurashtra got off to a strong start through openers Umeshvari Jethva (47) and Riddhi Ruparel (82), who put on 96 runs for the first wicket. Presha Naik broke the partnership by dismissing Umeshvari. The Goa bowlers then bowled in a disciplined manner and kept Saurashtra under constant pressure. Harshita Yadav and Poorva Bhaidkar also made valuable contributions with the ball, picking up two wickets each. When Saurashtra were 216 for 6, Ayushi (unbeaten 44 off 33 balls) and Modhwadia (unbeaten 22 off 15 balls) launched a late assault. However, the Goa bowlers held their nerve and did not allow Saurashtra to cross the winning line, sealing a memorable 16-run victory.
BRIEF SCORES
Goa Women: 272/8 in 50 overs (Purvaja Verlekar 51, Harshita Yadav 34, Tejaswini Duragad 34, Tanisha Gaikwad 0, Diksha Amonkar 4, Poorva Bhaidkar 72, Vinavi Gurav 4, Shreya Parab 42, Presha Naik* 18, Metali Gawandr* 3, Extras 10; T. Dharani 4/48, N. Chavda 2/68, P. Modhwadia 1/39, Hirva V. 1/42) defeated
Saurashtra Women: 256/6 in 50 overs (Umeshvari Jethwa 47, Riddhi Ruparel 82, Shifa Shelat 12, Saraswati K. 5, Hirva V. 28, Ayushi P.* 44, N. Chavda 1, P. Modhwadia* 22, Extras 15; Harshita Yadav 2/43, Poorva Bhaidkar 2/45, Shreya Parab 1/47, Presha Naik 1/8)
