Zonal teams of North and East will face off in the 1st Semi-Final of the ongoing Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy at the Pune Cricket Club Ground, Pune. The game is scheduled from the 3rd to the 5th of April with live action to commence each day at 9:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
North Zone – Sushma Verma, Taniya Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Priya Punia, Chitra Jamwal, Tanisha Ohlan, Neena Chaudhary, Amanjot Kaur, Sarla Devi, Parunika Sisodia, Nandini Sharma, Mannat Kashyap, Priyanka Dilbag Sharma
East Zone – Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Dhara Gujjar, Ashwani Kumari, Kashish Vinod Agarwal, Annapurna Das, Ritu Kumari, Deepti Sharma, Durga Kumari Murmu, Monika Das, Saika Ishaque, Titas Sadhu, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Mamta Paswan, Suravi Roy, Rachna Singh
Players to watch out:
Shafali Verma
The 20-year-old opening batter has amassed 338 runs from 8 outings in multi-day games, including the highest of 96, averaging 42.25. Shafali displayed fine form in a recently concluded white-ball competition, and it will be expected of the seasoned batter to replicate the success in this competition.
Parunika Sisodia
The 18-year-old left-arm off-spinner, averaging 12.35 and maintaining an economy rate of 3.00, picked up 14 wickets from 8 One Day matches in the 23/24 domestic season. Parunika was impressive throughout the domestic season and can be counted on to produce the breakthroughs.
Deepti Sharma
The 26-year-old from 6 Test innings, has struck 16 wickets, while from 7 outings has accumulated 317 runs at an average of 63.40, with respective bests of 5/7 and 78. Deepti, in the ongoing tournament qualifier, scored 42, while returning figures of 5/9 and 2/36. She’ll be relied upon for the goods.
Saika Ishaque
The 28-year-old left-arm off-spinner bagged 7 wickets from 5 One Day matches at an economy rate of 2.57 in the ’23/24 domestic season. Fresh off a notable run in a recent T20 competition, Saika’s bowling figures in the qualifier read 0/6 (5) and 1/9 (3.3). It’ll be hoped that she capitalizes on this form.
Pitch:
With an average score of 385, the Pune Cricket Club Ground offers a good batting deck, but as the game progresses, scoring could become challenging. The wicket has enough in it for bowlers, especially spinners, who can change the course of the game.
Weather:
The conditions in Pune are expected to be pleasant for cricket with clear sunny skies throughout the three days of the game. The temperature will hover in the late 30s (°C), with light winds and humidity at 28%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Richa Ghosh, Sushma Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Dhara Gujjar, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Saika Ishaque, Titas Sadhu, Mannat Kashyap, Parunika Sisodia
Match details:
Date – April 3-5, 2024
Time – 9:30 AM IST
Venue – Pune Cricket Club Ground, Pune
Broadcast – Access live scores for the game on BCCI’s match center web portal.