Bengal led by skipper Saika Ishaque finished at the top of the table in Group E, with 20 points from 6 games including 5 victories in the league stages of the 2024-25 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. Haryana led by skipper Shafali Verma finished on top of the table in Group D with 16 points from 6 games including four victories in the league stages of the tournament. Both these sides were up against each other in the 4th Quarter Final.
Skipper Shafali Verma leads from the front with a blistering century
Bengal skipper Saika Ishaque won the toss and opted to field first. The Haryana openers Reema Sisodia and skipper Shafali Verma capitalised on the opportunity by forming a massive 173-run opening partnership. T Sarkar picked up the wicket of Reema Sisodia (58 off 72 balls) to provide the much-needed breakthrough for Bengal. Deeya Yadav soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Bengal.
Another massive 88-run partnership for the 3rd wicket between Triveni Vasistha and skipper Shafali Verma followed by another crucial 58-run partnership between Sonia Mendhiya and Triveni Vasistha propelled Haryana to a massive total of 389/5 in their quota of 50 overs. Skipper Shafali Verma (197 off 115 balls) fell just three runs short of a well-deserved double century. She single-handedly contributed over 50% of the team’s total for Haryana.
Soniya Medhiya (61 off 41 balls), Reema Sisodia (58 off 72 balls), and Triveni Vasistha (46 off 55 balls) chipped in with their part with the bat for Haryana. T Sarkar (10-0-56-3), Mita Paul (10-0-63-1), and skipper Saika Ishaque (10-1-73-0) were the positives with the ball for Bengal.
Bengal’s top 5 hunt down a record-shattering total for Bengal to progress to the Semis
Chasing a mountainous total of 390, the Bengal openers Sasthi Mondal and Dhara Gujjar got their side off to an ideal start in the context of the run chase with a 100-run opening partnership scoring at a rate of around 11 runs an over. Soniya Mendhiya picked up the wicket of Sasthi Mondal to provide the first breakthrough for Haryana. Another crucial 60-run partnership for the 2nd wicket between T Sarkar and Dhara Gujjar set up an ideal platform for Bengal to create something special.
Bengal lost the wicket of Mita Paul soon after the departure of Dhara Gujjar. However, another 111-run partnership for the 4th wicket between wicket-keeper batter Priyanka Bala and T Sarkar got the run chase back on track, while taking their side closer to the 300-run mark. Triveni Vasistha returned and cleaned up T Sarakar to provide the much-needed 4th breakthrough for Haryana.
Another crucial 65-run partnership for the 5th wicket took their side past the 350-run mark. The partnership took their side to a much more comfortable position in the historic run chase. Bengal eventually got over the line with five wickets in hand and five balls to spare. T Sarkar (113 off 83 balls), wicket-keeper batter Priyanka Bala (88* off 81 balls), Dhara Gujjar (69 off 49 balls), and Sasthi Mondal (52 off 29 balls), were the standout performers with the bat for Bengal. It is also the highest-ever successful run chase in Women’s List A history.
Triveni Vasistha (10-1-69-2), Sheetal Rana (10-0-64-1), and skipper Shafali Verma (10-0-72-0) were the positives with the ball for Haryana in a run fest.
T Sarkar was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round performance, playing a crucial role in helping Bengal progress to the semi-final of the tournament. Sarkar returned with match figures of 10-0-56-3 with the ball and scored a sensational century (113 off 83 balls) with the bat for her side.
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