PANAJI
Goa Women almost crumbled to a shocking loss chasing a 64-run target set by Plate Group C table-toppers Tripura in a Round V engagement of the Senior Women's One Day League at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.
Needing to win handsomely to entertain any hopes of advancing to the next stage, Goa women made heavy weather of a smallish target much like in their opening game against Chhattisgarh. In a nerve-wracking game on the haloed turf in Kolkata, Goa Women required the services of their No 11 batter, Rupali Chavan 7* (6b) to get them over the line in company of Sindiya Naik 2* (6b), who forged an all-important 12-run stand for the last wicket to secure their passage in the next round of the tournament.
Earlier on winning the toss, Tripura elected to bat first. But the North East side sitting pretty on top of the six-team group at 14 points with a Net Run rate of +1.364 and virtually through to the next stage, did not bargain for what was to unfold shortly afterwards. Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Goa, all on 10 points, in that order on NRR were seemingly in a three-way tie fighting for the other berth entering Round V, with no one expecting Tripura to fight for survival.
Tripura were rattled early losing four batters at the team score of just 8 by the start of the fifth over, all victims of a fiery opening burst by Goa's international, Shikha Pandey. Tripura opener, Indra Rani Jamatia in company of S H Chakroborty then joined hands to do some repair work raising 29 runs for the fifth wicket until Jamatia 14 (41b, 2x4) was run out by Sindiya Naik.
Captain and seam bowling all-rounder, Pandey got back into the act by removing her opposite number, A B Das and R K Debbarama at the same score of 37. From 37/5, it was only a matter of time before the innings caved in at 63 after 28.5 overs with lower middle-order batter, S H Chakroborty 21 (47b, 4x4) and Suravi S Roy further down the order with an unbeaten 12 (36b, 3x4) showing a semblance of resistance. In the Goa attack, Shikha stood out with sterling readings of 10-7-10-6 with slow bowlers, Sunanda Yetrekar and Rupali Chavan chipping in with a wicket apiece.
Goa Women who have been solid at the top of their batting order, with Vinavi Gurav and Nikita Malik through the campaign having solid opening stands of 24, 46 and 49 began their chase with positive intent. Needing to get over the line as early as they could with Net Run Rate to come into play, Gurav who got off the mark with a boundary could not add another run to her score with Tripura opening bowler, Suravi Roy having the last laugh.
Goa shrugging of the early setback at the team score of 4, promoted the misfiring Sanjula Naik in the continued quest for quick runs. Sanjula began by peppering the ropes twice but that were to be here only scoring shots with her dismissal at an individual score of 8 to A B Das and team total at 16. Not flustered by the two early blows, Goa tinkered further with their batting order sending out Vanita Bhandari at two-down. Reposing the faith that her skipper gave her, Bhandari shouldered the responsibility well in company of a settling opener Nikita Malik until a dreaded mix-up resulted in Malik being run out for 15 (40b, 2x4) by S H Chakroborty.
Goa though still looked good at 42/3 mid-way through the 14th over. But a calamitous turnaround was an occurrence on the cards. With only a run added to the team score, seasoned campaigner, Sunanda Yetrekar failed to trouble the scorers' second game on the bounce with Bengal third-change bowler Moutushi Dey picking up the important stick.
Dey continued her dream spell with her nagging line and length to bring her team into contest with two other vital breakthroughs of Bhandari 14(34b, 1x4) and Shikha Pandey (0) to reduce Goa to 47/6 in 15.5 overs. The right-arm medium bowler looked unplayable to the point that her first three wickets went for no runs from her initial two overs.
At another point, Goa Women lost three wickets at 52 to nearly capitulate to an embarrassing defeat with Dey pretty much on song snaring two of those wickets. At 52/9 and staring at defeat and bowing out of competition, it required Sindiya (2*) along with No 11 Rupali (7*) to help them get over the line which they reached in 21.3 overs. Among Tripura bowlers, Dey was a standout with 5/13 from 4.3 overs while Suravi Roy, A B Das and S B Sinha picked up a wicket apiece.
At the end of the final Round V, Bengal (defeated Chhatisgarh by 8 wickets) and Goa joined Tripura with 14 points. While Bengal progressed to the next round with a far superior NRR of +1.138, Goa joined them by edging out Tripura with a NRR of +0.571 against +0.482 of their last round rivals.
