Mithali Raj led from the front on her return to domestic cricket as Railways beat Odisha to reach the semi-finals of the 2021 edition of Women’s Senior One-day trophy. In the second quarter-final, Indrani Roy starred with the bat to help Jharkhand overcome Karnataka.

Railways who had several members of the Indian team including Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Punam Raut, and D Hemalatha in their team overcame a patchy start after choosing to bat having won the toss.

Railways lost three out of their first four batters for scores less than 20 before Raj stitched two crucial partnerships with RD Thirushkamini and Sneh Rana.

The legendary Indian batters ensured that Railways finished with a strong total of 274 in their 50 overs.

Odisha after losing two early wickets never really got their chase going as they got bowled out for 206.

In the second quarter-final, Jharkhand got off to a solid start after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Openers Roy and Rashmi both scored half-centuries but their innings fell apart beyond that as Jharkhand managed only 254.

In reply, Monica Patel, who made her debut recently for India and played a crucial innings for Karnataka to give them hope, but Jharkhand held their nerves to clinch a semi-final berth.

Andhra play Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh play Bengal in the two remaining quarter-finals on Tuesday.