PANAJI
After scoring two consecutive victories, Goa will be keen to complete a hat-trick of wins when they take on Jammu & Kashmir in the BCCI senior women's one-day league in Kolkata on Sunday. Goa are currently placed top of Plate Group C with eight points from two games, while J&K are languishing at the bottom with two defeats in as many games.
Goa coach Devieka Palshikaar is happy with the returns so far from the outings against Team Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The former India player believes that the match against J&K provides a chance for her to experiment, with an eye on qualification for the next round. Goa's current net run-rate is +0.626, followed by Tripura (+0.510), who also have eight points from two games.
"To qualify for the next round, we need to win a minimum of two more matches. We are taking it match by match basis, and it is very important for us to win tomorrow's game with a good margin so that we can have a better run-rate. This is the only game where we can experiment little bit and there will be one or two changes to the playing eleven," Palshikaar, who is a former assistant-coach of India, told The Goan.
Goa, who scored a narrow two-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh in the opening match, came up with a much improved performance against Team Rajasthan on Friday. Chasing a target of 140 runs, Goa cruised to victory in 37.5 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Experienced all-rounder Sunanda Yetrekar was the star performer of the day, first picking up three wickets for 33 runs in 9.3 overs, and then guiding the team to victory with a responsible unbeaten knock of 58 runs off 74 balls. Openers - Vinavi Gurav (42) and Nikita Malik (24) - had earlier given Goa a good start, with a 46-run partnership.
Coach Palshikaar was a little frustrated after the first match where the team made heavy weather of a paltry chase, although she was relieved to see the girls cross the line and clinch victory. The reaction from the girls in the following game, was impressive. Palshikaar's post-match talk, seemed to have worked wonderfully. However, the job is only half done with two more victories being the target.
