the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa U-19 Women started their campaign with a resounding 131-run win over a spineless Tripura in the Elite Group C Women’s U-19 One Day match at Goa Cricket Academy ground, Porvorim on Monday.
Diksha Amonkar’s masterly 71 and Diksha Gawde’s all-round brilliance (50*, 4/18) guided the home team to a facile win.
Winning the toss, Goa elected to bat and posted 236/5. Their innings did not start on a good note when talented opener Purvaja Verlekar (1) fell early with the score only 11. The other opener, Sindiya Naik, in company of her captain Tejashwini Duragad steadied the innings with a 71-run second wicket stand.
However, there was a mini collapse with three wickets falling in the space of five runs. Naik (29) and Duragad (28) fell within three deliveries in the 15th over. While Naik was caught by Sebika Das to an Ambika Debnath delivery, Duragad was run out by Priya Sutradhar.
Shortly afterwards, Goa slumped further to 87/4 when Poorva Bhaidkar fell for nought, becoming Debnath’s second victim. This brought Gawde to the crease who along with Amonkar strung a 149-run stand.
Amonkar fell on the last ball of the innings after crafting a magnificent 71 (104b, 8x4) while Gawde stood firm on an unbeaten exact 50 (105b, 2x4). In the Tripura attack, Ambika Debnath was the pick of the bowlers with 2/41.
Chasing a reasonable target, Tripura were never in the game. Opener Ananya Debnath was snapped up by Sindiya Naik without troubling the scorers with the visitors just having a run on the board. Only her partner at the top, Antara Das could make a substantial score (42, 133b, 3x4), while only two other batters could manage to enter double digits.
Tripura painstakingly played out their overs to finish on 105. The 54-run fifth wicket stand between Antara Das and Puja Paul (18) only briefly showed semblance of any fightback after the north-eastern side were reduced to 38/4 midway through
their chase.
Diksha Gawde had the best figures of 4/18 from her 10-over quota, while Duragad claimed two wickets including the big-wicket of
Antara Das.
In another match at Sanguem ground, Saurashtra secured a narrow three-wicket win over Vidarbha.
Saurashtra chose to field after winning the toss and bundled out their opponents for 132 in 42.2 overs. In the modest chase, Vidarbha reduced Saurashtra to 115/7 in the 40th over but Sujan Sama (23*) and S Jethva (10*) knocked off the required runs to secure the victory in 47 overs.
Goa U-19 Women next take on Vidarbha at MCC, Margao on Wednesday.
