PANAJI
A sensational unbeaten century by Purvaja Verlekar powered Goa to a convincing 51-run victory in an Elite Group Women's List-A match of the Senior Women's One Day Trophy at the JSCA Oval Ground here.
After electing to bat, Goa recovered from an early wobble to post a formidable 294 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. Goa were rocked early with the loss of Harshita and Vinavi fo a duck, but Purvaja steadied the innings with remarkable composure and authority. She crafted a superb 166 not out off 152 balls, laced with 19 fours and two sixes, anchoring the innings from start to finish.
Purvaja found able support through crucial partnerships in the middle order. She first rebuilt the innings with Tanisha Gaikwad, adding valuable runs to take Goa past the 100-run mark. The defining stand of the innings came when Purvaja combined with Poorva Bhaidkar for a match-shaping partnership, which lifted Goa from a position of consolidation to dominance. Poorva contributed a steady 37, ensuring momentum was maintained through the middle overs.
Late-order contributions from for Athashree Shivarkar (22) helped Goa push close to the 300-run mark, setting a stiff target for the opposition.
In reply, the chasing side began positively, with G Trisha (33) and Sandhya Gora (83)putting together a solid opening stand of 72 runs, giving their team early hope. Sandhya anchored the chase with a patient knock, but regular wickets at the other end stalled progress.
Goa's bowlers struck at crucial intervals, breaking partnerships just as they threatened to develop. Shreya Parab emerged as the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 35, applying sustained pressure in the middle overs. Support came from Pooja Kalel, Tejashwini Duragad, and Purvaja Verlekar, who chipped in with timely wickets.
Despite brief resistance from the lower middle order, the chase lost momentum after the fall of Sandhya Gora's wicket. The batting side was eventually bowled out for 243 in 46.5 overs, falling 51 runs short of the target.
The win, built on strong partnerships and a commanding all-round effort, underlined Goa's dominance in the contest, with Purvaja Verlekar's marathon knock standing out as the defining performance of the match.
BRIEF SCORES
Goa - 294/8 in 50 Overs (Purvaja Verlekar Not Out 166, Harshita Yadav 0, Vinavi Gurav 0, Tejashwini Duragad 4, Krupa Patel 8, Tanisha Gaikwad 35, Poorva Bhaidkar 37, Shreya Parab 0, Athashree Shivarkar 22, Pooja Kalel Not Out 1, Extras 21, Yashasri 21-2, Sirichendhanaa 20-1, G. Trisha 38-1, Kesari Drithi 58-1, Vanka Pooja 36-1, Kunchala Niteesha 21-2)
Hyderabad - 243 All Out in 46.5 Overs (G. Trisha 33, Sandhya Gora 83, Kunchala Niteesha 6, Vanka Pooja 5, Akanksha Semwal 25, Vellore Mahesh Kavya 8, K. Nidhi 24, M. Sakshi Rao 28, Yashasri 15, Sirichendhanaa 1, Kesari Drithi Not Out 6, Extras 9, Metali Gawandar 38-1, Shreya Parab 35-3, Poorva Bhaidkar 31-1, Pooja Kalel 28-1, Tejashwini Duragad 46-1, Purvaja Verlekar 18-1)
