Punam Raut and Jemimah Rodrigues struck identical scores of 84 to give India Green a comfortable 8-wicket victory in the ongoing Challenger Trophy at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Thursday.
Put into bat, India Red could only muster 217 for the loss of 6 wickets in their 50 overs, while the Green team, led by Anuja Patil, chased the target down at a canter, knocking the runs off with 7.2 overs to spare.
Priya Punia and Deepti Sharma made 105 runs in 31.3 overs, giving Red a solid opening start as captain Patil, dropped Punia off her own bowling. Punia was eventually run out for 51 off 100 balls as Red captain Mithali Raj, came in at 3 to try and accelerate the scoring rate.
The Indian women’s team captain put on 49 with Sharma, before the Jemimah got into the act with the ball. Threatening to put up a target in excess of 230 at one stage, Red lost their second wicket when the 19-year-old from Mumbai caught Deepti Sharma off her own bowling.
Mithali continued to attack, and it was her innings of 49 off 48 balls that lifted Red towards a respectable score of 217. Captain Patil was the best bowler for her team, bagging two wickets for 42 runs off her 10 overs.
In reply, Raut and Jemimah who started briskly, knocking the wind out of Red’s sails. The latter, in particular, was fluent and commanding, as she raced to a half-century and put on a fine opening stand of 139 in 29.4 overs to all but bat Red out of the game.
Rodrigues, who had struck 12 fours till then, went for a lofted shot off Deepti Sharma and was caught by Priyanka Priyadarshini at the boundary as Green lost their first wicket. Raut, at the other end played the anchor’s role to perfection as she remained unbeaten at the end of the innings.
Anuja Patil, who came in at the fall of the second wicket, played an aggressive knock as she struck four boundaries and a six in her 31-ball 43. The winning runs came off Sharma, as Patil brought the target up with a six.