The last league match of senior women’s one-day Challenger Trophy will be played between India B and India C on December 7 at Vijayawada. While India C have lost both their matches, India B have won one and lost one. For India B to qualify for the finals, they will have to win against India C by a big margin.
Match preview: India B vs India C
Squads:
India B: Taniya Bhatia, Anju Tomar, Riya Chaudhary, Palak Patel, Shubha Satish, Harleen Deol, Humeira Kazi, Chandu V Ram, Rashi Kanojiya, Gongadi Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Meghna Singh, Sarla Devi, Saima Thakoor, Ramyashri Prasad
India C: Arti Devi, Radha Yadav, C Prathyusha, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Singh, Sweta Verma, Priya Punia, Shikha Pandey, Tarannum Pathan, Priyanka Garkhede, Muskan Malik, Rizu Saha, Kashvee Gautam, Shipra Giri, Dhara Gujjar
Players to watch out for
Harleen Deol:
She is the top run-getter for India B in the two matches that they have played so far. Overall she is the second-highest run-scorer with 135 runs, including two half-centuries and the best 73. She has a healthy strike rate of 88.23 and an average of 67.50. For India B to score big, they will depend on her. Apart from her batting, she can contribute with the ball. The leg spinner has bowled 13 overs in two matches and picked up one wicket.
Chandu V Ram:
The wily off spinner is the most successful bowler for India B with five wickets in to outings. She has bowled 17.5 overs so far and given away just 70 runs at an economy of 3.92, including the best bowling figures of 3-30. She bowls well in the middle overs and keeps the batters at bay with her tight lines and lengths.
Radha Yadav:
The all-rounder, after returning from WBBL, has put up a good show in the tournament so far, with both bat and ball. She is the leading run scorer for India C with 90 runs in two matches, including the best of 82 in her previous match against India A. The left arm spinner has also scalped three wickets in two matches, including the best of 3-47.
Shikha Pandey:
The captain of India C is the joint highest wicket-taker in the team with three wickets from two matches. The right arm seamer has bowled well with the new ball and has troubled the batters more than often with her probing in-swingers. She has an economy if under four in the tournament so far and the best bowling figures of 2-48. In addition to her bowling, she is more than a handy lower middle order bat.
Weather
The weather is expected to be sunny and pleasant all through the course of the match with average temperature between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius. There is 1-2% chance of precipitation with 15-18% cloud cover during the course of the match. In the morning (local), the wind will blow from the east-northeast, while in the afternoon (local) it will blow from the east.
Pitch
It is a good batting wicket, with the ball coming nicely on to the bat. Batters will get value for their shots. More than 400 runs were scored in the last match that was played here. For the bowlers, there is some assistance in the morning as the new ball can do some talking.
Fantasy playing XI
Taniya Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Humeira Kazi, Anushka Sharma, Priya Punia, Meghna Singh, Sarla Devi, Shikha Pandey, Chandu V Ram, Rashi Kanojiya, Radha Yadav
Match details
Date: December 7 2021
Time: 9am IST
Venue: Dr. Gokaraju Laila Ganga Raju ACA Cricket Complex – CP Ground, Mulapadu, Vijayawada
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.