PANAJI
Baroda and Bengal took to Round II in the Senior Women's Elite T20 (Group A) in contrasting styles in their three-wicket and nine-wicket wins against MP and UP respectively at the GCA Academy, Porvorim on Sunday.
Tarannum Pathan was the architect of Baroda's win. She first did a commendable job with her offies with returns of 2/9 and then guided her team through with an unbeaten 61. For Bengal, their openers stole the show again. While Deepti Sharma struck a magnificent 46, Paromita Roy saw her side over the line with an unconquered 37.
In the first match, Madhya Pradesh women put in to bat posted 97/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Charu Joshi (29, 33b, 6x4) and hard-hitting number 7 batswoman Pooja Vastrakar (23, 17b, 1x6) enabled their side to a competitive score. Tanvir Shaikh, Tarannum Pathan and S R Sharma each took two scalps for Baroda Women.
In reply, Baroda women were made to work extremely hard for their runs barring their captain Tarannum Pathan, who seemed to be batting on a different wicket altogether. Inside the first over off Charu Joshi, Baroda lost two wickets with no runs on the board. By the fifth over, they were in a tight spot at 11/3.
The predicament brought out the best in captain Pathan who sparkled amidst the ruins with an unbeaten 61 (55b, 2x4, 3x6) to guide her side over the line. Baroda women got there at 98/7 in 19.2 overs. Middle-order batswoman Radha P Yadav (10) was the only other player with a double digit score in the chase. Charu Joshi's brilliant slow bowling efforts of 3/9 in 4 overs went in vain as MP Women lost their second match in as many days.
In the afternoon match, Bengal registered their second successive comprehensive win to set a marker in the competition. UP Women, on winning the toss and batting first, put up 94/7. UP's score was built on a solid 48-run first-wicket stand by openers Shashi Mathur (23, 30b, 4x4) and Muskan Malik (30, 42b, 5x4) raised in 8.4 overs until Malik fell. Bengal bowlers Nisha Maji and P B Pandey picked up two wickets each.
Much like the previous match, Bengal openers Paromita Roy and Deepti Sharma went about the task at hand with élan. Deepti departed after a fruitful 85-run association in 15 overs with Roy. The India international lost her wicket after a well-made 46 (42b, 5x4). The pint-sized all-rounder Tanusree Sarkar (4) joined Roy (37*, 58b, 4x4) to see the side over the line at 95/1 with an over to spare. Shubhi Pandey was the lone bowler to taste success for the losing UP side.
On Monday, Goa Women take on Baroda Women at 9 am while UP Women face MP Women at 1.30 pm.
