the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa women registered their second consecutive win with a convincing eight-wicket success with 44 balls to spare against Punjab in a Round VIII Elite Group A & B encounter in the ongoing BCCI Senior Women’s One-Day League at Chukkapalli Pitchaiah cricket ground, Mulapadu on Wednesday.
Electing to bat, Punjab were all out for 187 in 49.1 overs. Their captain and wicket-keeper, Taniya Bhatia top-scored for her side with a masterly 60 (96balls, 6x4). Goa got over the line in an emphatic style in 44.2 overs with skipper Shikha Pandey striking a boundary to get to 71 runs (57b, 10x4, 1x6) while wicket-keeper Vinavi Gurav contributed 73 (98b, 9x4) in a rollicking unbroken 121-run third-wicket stand.
Earlier, Punjab started well with openers, Ridhima Aggarwal (15) and Jasia Akhter (25) putting on 41 runs for the first wicket in 10.3 overs. The promising partnership was cut short and both the batters with starts up the order, perished in the initial spell by all-rounder, Sunanda Yetrekar.
Punjab were in trouble losing their fourth wicket at 84 in the 29th over, when acceleration was the order of the day. Parveen Khan was snared by slow-left-arm orthodox in-form bowler, Rupali Chavan for 2. Bhatia, who plays for India as well, found an able ally in B N Meena to forge a significant fifth-wicket stand of 73 runs. With Meena’s dismissal at 157/5 effected by a sharp throw by Tejashwini Duragad after making a fine 31 (39b, 3x4), her well-set partner, Bhatia (60) too departed for an addition of only four runs to the scoreboard with seasoned leggie Sunanda Yetrekar snapping up her third top-order victim.
From there on, Chavan had the Punjab lower order dance to her tunes as she hastened the next three wickets to fall. A well-disguised delivery from discarded India international Pandey found Komalpreet Kour (2) yorking herself to conclude Punjab’s innings at 187 with five deliveries still left.
In the Goa attack, the highly-regarded spin duo of slow left-arm orthodox, Rupali Chavan and leg-break googly, Sunanda Yetrekar did their reputation no harm with crucial returns of 4/28 and 3/31 respectively.
Chasing a decent score, Goa lost the lanky southpaw Sanjula Naik early. From 15/1, wicket-keeper Vinavi Gurav returned to form to stitch a healthy 54-run stand for the second wicket with the other opener Puravaja Verlekar, who struck a patient 33 (81b, 3x4. While the promising, Verlekar played her part, captain Shikha Pandey’s (71*) experience and late innings pyrotechnics alongside a composed Vinavi Gurav (73*) ensured an early finish to the game at 190/2 in 42.4 overs.
Goa who have from their six matches thus far tasted three wins and as many losses, next face Andhra on December 16. They end their league engagement against Haryana two days later.
BRIEF SCORES
Punjab 187 in 49.1 ov, RR: 3.80 (Taniya Bhatia 60; Rupali Chavan 4/28, Sunanda Yetrekar 3/31) v Goa 190/2 in 42.4 ov, RR: 4.45 (Vinavi Gurav 73*, Shikha Pandey 71*).
