Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Goa suffered a six wicket loss to Punjab in their Senior Women’s One Day Trophy Elite fixture at the Usha Martin Ground in Ranchi on Thursday, despite posting a competitive total.
Opting to bat first, Goa Women put up 218 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs. The innings was anchored by Harshita Yadav, who compiled a steady 52 off 74 deliveries, striking six boundaries. She found support from Poorva Bhaidkar, who made 36, and Tejaswini Duragad, who added 32 runs. Contributions also came from Purvaja Verlekar with 23 and Tanisha Gaikwad with 21, helping Goa reach a respectable score.
Punjab’s bowling attack kept things under control through regular breakthroughs. Mannat Kashyap and Meenu Kumari claimed two wickets each, while others chipped in to restrict Goa from accelerating in the closing stages.
In response, Punjab chased down the 219 run target comfortably, finishing at 222 for 4 in 44.4 overs. Although they were reduced to 59 for 2 early in the innings, the middle order ensured there were no further setbacks. Ridhima Aggarwal steadied the chase with a composed 55, while Pragati Singh struck a fluent 60. Neetu Singh remained unbeaten on 56, guiding her side home with confidence. Priya Kumari provided valuable support with an unbeaten 19 at the end.
For Goa, Metali Gawandar, Tejaswini Duragad, Poorva Bhaidkar and Vidhi Bhandare picked up a wicket each, but they were unable to stem the flow of runs during the decisive partnership phase.
With this result, Goa will now look to regroup as they prepare to face Tripura in their next match scheduled for Saturday, the 14th.
