C Prathyusha’s four-for helped India Blue clinch a thrilling victory in the Challenger Trophy final in Indore. After the Smriti Mandhana-led team had set India Green a modest 208-run target, Punam Raut set India Green’s chase on course with a third successive century stand with Jemimah Rodrigues.
However, after Rajeshwari Gayakwad ended the opening partnership, India Blue seized control of the innings and struck at regular intervals. Although she missed out on a hat-trick, Prathyusha claimed the last three wickets in four balls to bowl her team to a 33-run victory.
After electing to bat, Mandhana lost her opening partner Vanitha VR with 33 runs on the board. The batter handed a simple catch to mid-on off Shikha Pandey and departed for 19. After a 48-run stand for the second wicket, D Hemalatha was trapped lbw by Ekta Bisht to end the blossoming stand. Mandhana then forged a solid partnership with Mona Meshram to bolster the total. The skipper who has been in good nick throughout the tournament survived while on 49 as S Asha failed to hang on to a return catch. However, a bit later while on 58, Mandhana was run out. Looking for a second run, the opener was sent back her partner and Raut’s throw from the deep found her short of the crease at the striker’s end.
Meshram then dropped anchor and held one end up to keep the innings on course even as she lost partners at regular intervals. Eight runs later, Tanushree Sarkar was stumped off Asha while Taniya Bhatia followed her back leaving the team on 160 for five. After claiming Bhatia, Asha removed Pooja Vastrakar off the next ball but missed out on a hat-trick. 14 runs later Radha Yadav stepping out to Anuja Patil was stumped. With the team on 194, Meshram stepped out to Patil and departed handing a return catch to the India Green captain.
After taking India Blue past the 200-run mark with Jhulan Goswami, Gaykwad hit the ball back towards the bowler and Patil took the catch above her head to leave the team on 202 for nine. Goswami, who had also been afforded a life during her short stay at the crease, then took the team to 207 for nine with a boundary off the last delivery of the innings.
Chasing the 208-run target, India Green were well on course as Raut and Rodrigues milked the bowlers to shape the innings. Plundering runs off the opposition with ease, the duo had put together a 114-run stand to seize the momentum from India Blue. However, the departure of Rodrigues led to a batting collapse and the India Blue bowlers did well to step up the pressure after getting the breakthrough.
Rodrigues attempting to sweep Gaykwad departed offering a catch towards square-leg leaving the side on 114 for one. From there on it was downhill for the side as they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. 19 runs later, Devika Vaidya was caught by Hemalatha off her own bowling. The on song Raut was the next to return to the dressing room; run out on 88. The rest of the lineup failed to capitalise on the solid start and perished without sizeable contributions.
The skipper was the next to return to the pavilion, stumped off Meshram leaving the team on 157 for four. Asha, who then joined Parween in the middle helped add 13 runs to the tally until being run out and later in the over, the wicketkeeper-bat was bowled by Prathyusha leaving the team faltering on 170 for six.
Both teams were neck and neck at 171 for six at the end of 42 overs, but India Green caved in to the India Blue bowling with the target in sight.
Off the first ball of the 43rd over, Tanushree Sarkar pulled off a low return catch to send back Bisht. In the next over, Prathyusha was back in action. She dived to her left to take a low return catch after Preeti Bose had hit the ball back in the direction of the bowler to leave the team on 172 for eight. And off the next ball the bowler crashed Shannti Kumar’s stumps. Although she missed out on a hat-trick, she trapped Meghna Singh lbw in her next to bundle India Green out for 174 and clinch victory.
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