Poorva Bhaidkar(72), Purvaja Verlekar(51) impress in their 16-run victory
Ranchi: Goa Women registered a spirited 16-run victory over Saurashtra in their Senior Women’s One Day Trophy Elite Group C encounter at the Taurian World School Ground here on Tuesday.
opting to bat, Goa posted a competitive 272 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs, built around a solid start from the top order and a decisive recovery by the lower middle order. Openers Purvaja Verlekar (51) and Harshita Yadav (34) laid a steady foundation before Tejaswini Duragad (34) added momentum as Goa crossed the 100-run mark.
However, Goa suffered a sudden collapse, slipping from a strong position to 147 for 6, with the dismissals of Tanisha Gaikwad (0), and Vinavi Gurav (4) putting the innings in jeopardy. At that stage, Poorva Bhaidkar and Shreya Parab steadied the innings with a crucial partnership. Poorva top-scored with a composed 72 off 73 balls, striking seven boundaries, while Shreya contributed a valuable 42 off 45 deliveries. Presha Naik’s unbeaten 18 ensured Goa went past 270. For Saurashtra, T. Dharani was the standout bowler with 4 for 48.
Chasing 273, Saurashtra got off to a strong start through Umeshvari Jethwa (47) and Riddhi Ruparel (82). Presha Naik broke the opening stand, after which Goa’s bowlers maintained pressure through disciplined spells. Harshita Yadav and Poorva Bhaidkar claimed two wickets each to reduce Saurashtra to 216 for 6.
A late surge by Ayushi (44 not out) and P. Modhwadia (22 not out) briefly threatened to tilt the match, but Goa held firm to restrict Saurashtra to 256 for 6 and seal a memorable win. The victory lifted Goa to fourth place in Group C with eight points.
