the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa Women were made to sweat hard to return back to winning ways with a hard-fought 12-run win against Maharashtra in a Rd VII Elite Group A & B encounter in the ongoing Senior Women’s One Day League played at Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground, Mulapadu on Monday.
Put in to bat, Goa Women were restricted to 173/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Opener Sanjula Naik made a welcome return to form top-scoring with 45 (89b, 6x4) while Nikita Malik batted responsibly in the middle-order to compile 43 (81b, 2x4).
In the Maharashtra attack, Anuja Patil snapped five wickets while conceding only 25 runs in her 10-over quota.
Chasing the modest target, Maharashtra had a decent start with 29 runs for the opening wicket between P N Khemnar and M R Magre (6) before the latter was ruled out leg before to slow left-arm orthodox bowler Rupali Chavan. Khemnar was next to go for 35 (60b, 5x4) when another partnership was developing along with T S Hasabnis before
the other Maharashtra
opener also fell to the guiles of Chavan.
62/2 was soon to be 66/3 and Chavan was with a 3-fer and Goa, in business. Maharashtra gradually recovered to have the game interestingly poised with their score on 105 at the start of the 30th over when they lost their fourth wicket in S R Mane, 15 (28b, 2x4), who was cleaned up by Tejashwini Duragad.
A mid-order collapse saw Goa trying to wrest control with Maharashtra’s one-down bats woman, T S Hasabnis, who top-scored for her side with 45 (72b, 4x4) got run out at a critical juncture.
Hasabnis’ dismissal at 109/6 saw Goa looking to mount the pressure. With the street-smart presence of the seasoned Anuja Patil at the wicket and capable lower order batters, it was still anyone’s game.
Even at 144/8 in 43.2 overs with P B Garkhede 12 (18b) claimed by Vanita Bhandari, Maharashtra still were within reach. Another 30 to get from 28 balls left with Anuja Patil still at the 22-yards strip, the match could favour either end.
In the end, it was Goa to pull up the aces to win the nail-biter by 12 runs. Maharashtra were all out for 161 in 47.1 overs. Patil was the last bats woman dismissed when she was stumped by Vinavi Gurav off Duragad after making a 39-ball 28 aided with two boundaries. Rupali Chavan with 3/30 from nine overs stole the show for the winning side with her telling slow bowling efforts.
A resurgent Goa will play Punjab next on Wednesday.
