Rajasthan conclude their Thane leg in the Women’s U23 One Day Trophy with a win

Group A table-toppers Rajasthan registered their sixth consecutive win in the Women’s U23 One Day Trophy when they defeated the second-ranked Saurashtra by six wickets on Monday at Dadoji Konddeo Stadium in Thane.

Despite a steady start by Saurashtra’s opening pair, Umeshwari Jethva and Shifa Karimbhai, who put together 41 runs in 13.1 overs, the team was restricted to a below-par 95/8 in 50 overs. After Jethva (24) and Karimbhai (16) departed, Saurashtra could not add many runs to the scoreboard. Hirva Vadher (19) and Sujan Sama (17 not out) were the other batters who scored in double digits for Saurashtra but could not pile up a big score. Left-arm spinner Shanu Sen, who bowled with the new ball, was the most successful bowler for Rajasthan as she conceded just three runs in 10 overs, including seven maidens and claimed three wickets.

Sen has learnt a lot on the job, having already played for the Rajasthan senior women’s team and been one of the net bowlers for Mumbai Indians during the WPL 2023. She told Know Your Town, “I enjoy bowling with the new ball. I am quicker through the air and a skiddy customer, so bowling with the new ball works to my advantage. I practise a lot bowling with the new ball in the nets. During matches, I have a clear mindset that I have to bowl four overs with the new ball and then with the old ball. My focus is always on bowling tight lines and lengths so that I don’t give away runs, and eventually, the batter comes under pressure and gives away the wicket.”

Having won four of their five matches, chasing, Rajasthan overhauled the target in 32.2 overs at the loss of four wickets. Though they lost their top three batters in 11 overs for 33 runs, Diksha Saini and Dimple Kanwar ensured no further hiccups. Saini (24) and Kanwar stitched a match-winning partnership of 62 runs for the fourth wicket before Saini departed with her team wanting one run to win. Kanwar (38*) top-scored for her team with fluent and well-paced innings.

After the match, Saini, who has also represented Rajasthan Women’s U19 in the past, said, “Our plan was to pick singles and doubles and wait for the loose balls to hit boundaries. We wanted to build a partnership and take our team home.”

Kanwar, who has played five sports (Karate, Skating, Boxing, Badminton, and Kabaddi) at the national level, added, “We played with a calm and calculative mind. Their (Saurashtra’s) spinners were quite slow, so we knew we had to control our urge to hit big shots because if we mistimed one and lost our wickets, we could be in trouble.”

Dadoji Konddeo Stadium will host its last Women’s U23 One Day Trophy match on Wednesday. It will be played between Goa and Jammu & Kashmir.