Team E led by skipper Shubha Satheesh were up against Team A led by skipper Shafali Verma in the 3rd match of the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy. Team C led by skipper Sneh Rana were up against Team B led by skipper Radha Yadav in the 4th match of the tournament at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai.
Nandini Kashyap’s 131 in vain as Team A emerged triumphant by 5 wickets
Team E openers, wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap and skipper Shubha Satheesh got their side off to a solid start with a 79-run opening partnership after the opposition skipper Shafali Verma won the toss and inserted them to bat first. Mamta Paswan broke the opening stand by removing the opposition skipper Shubha Satheesh (35 off 44 balls) in the 18th over of the innings.
Shweta Sehrawat joined the wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap at the crease and the duo carried the momentum forward with another crucial 69-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take them closer to the 150-run mark. M R Magre picked up the wicket of Shweta Sehrawat (33 off 42 balls) to provide a vital breakthrough for the Shafali Verma-led side.
Priyanka Bala joined opening batter Nandini Kashyap at the crease and the duo further solidified Team E’s position in the game by taking their side closer to the 230-run mark with another massive 80-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. Tanusree Sarkar picked up the wicket of the wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap to provide the much-needed breakthrough for Team A. She departed after scoring a brisk century (131 off 125 balls). Team E eventually managed to breach the 300-run mark (301/6) in their quota of 50 overs.
Amanjot Kaur (38 off 24 balls), and Priyanka Bala (30 off 32 balls) played their part in helping their side get past the 300-run mark. The top order contributed a major chunk (76%) of the team’s total. T Sarkar (7-0-45-4) was the stand-out bowler for Team A. Mamta Paswan (9-1-43-1) Simran Dil Bahadur (7-0-32-0), and Sonia Mendhiya (8-1-40-0) provided good support from the other end.
The Team A openers Dhara Gujjar and skipper Shafali Verma provided their side with a dream start, a huge 175-run opening stand in their quest for hunting down the 302-run total. Ayushi Soni provided some respite for her side by dismissing the opposition skipper Shafali Verma (95 off 65 balls) in the 24th over of the run chase. She fell just 5 runs short of yet another well-deserved century.
After the departure of their skipper Shafali Verma, decent partnerships throughout the run chase eventually took their side over the line with five wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare. Skipper Shafali Verma’s opening partner, Dhara Gujjar (98 off 110 balls) also fell just 2 runs short of her well-deserved century. Wicket-keeper batter Shipra Giri (26 off 26 balls) and M R Magre (23 off 26 balls) chipped in with handy contributions with the bat for Team A. The openers took a significant chunk (around 64%) out of the massive target.
Ayushi Soni (6-0-28-3) was the stand-out performer with the ball for Team E. Yamuna Rana (10-0-49-0), Amanjot Kaur (6-0-36-1), and skipper Shubha Satheesh (3.2-0-26-1), provided decent support from the other end. Team A skipper Shafali Verma was awarded Player of the Match for her crucial knock (95 off 65 balls) at the top of the order for her side.
Dinesh Vrinda and Kashvee Gautam star in Team C’s comprehensive victory
Team C got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of their opening batter Tripti Singh in the 5th over of the innings after skipper Sneh Rana won the toss and opted to bat first. Wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia joined Dinesh Vrinda at the crease and the duo bailed their side out of trouble with a massive 150-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. A run-out ended wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia’s stay at the crease, providing the 2nd breakthrough for the Radha Yadav-led side. She completed a brisk half-century (68 off 68 balls) before getting dismissed.
Dinesh Vrinda also completed her well-deserved half-century en route to that partnership. Riya Chaudhary joined opening batter Dinesh Vrinda at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 57-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side past the 200-run mark. Saranya Gadwal picked up the wicket of Dinesh Vrinda to provide the much-needed breakthrough for Team B. She departed after scoring a well-crafted century (109 off 105 balls).
A horrible collapse saw Team C lose their last six wickets for just 41 runs and as a result, were eventually bundled out for 277 with 7 balls to spare. Riya Chaudhari (40 off 45 balls) also chipped in with crucial runs with the bat for her side. The trio of Dinesh Vrinda, wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia and Riya Chaudhari made a massive contribution (78%) to the team’s total. Skipper Radha Yadav (9.5-0-48-4), and I M Pathare (10-0-48-3), were the stars with the ball, while Nandani Sharma (7-0-36-1), and Saranya Gadwal (9-0-58-1) provided impressive support from the other end.
Chasing a target of 278, Team B were bundled out for 195, with 38 balls to spare, as a result, falling 82 runs short of the target. The 52-run opening stand between Jincy George and Sasthi Mondal was the highest partnership of the run chase. Arushi Goel (36 off 48 balls), Sasthi Mondal (35 off 18 balls), and Tanisha Singh (24 off 34 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Team B.
Kashvee Gautam (9-2-19-3) was exceptional with the ball for Team C, alongside the likes of Prema (8.4-0-27-3), and skipper Sneh Rana (8-0-39-2).
Vrinda Dinesh was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational century (109 off 105 balls) with the bat for her side. Her knock alongside spells of Kashvee Gautam and Prema played a pivotal role in helping their side clinch a comprehensive 82-run victory against Team B.
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