Kshama Patekar impresses with a brilliant all-round show

Kshama Patekar won back-to-back player of the match awards in the fifth edition of Late Arjun Madhvi Women’s Trophy on Monday in Thane. Patekar’s all-round brilliance guided defending champions Rajawadi Cricket Club to a seven-wicket win over Victory Cricket Club. With this win, Rajawadi Cricket Club have confirmed their semi-final berth.

Chasing 187, Rajawadi Cricket Club cruised to the target in 31.3 overs at the loss of three wickets. Opener Saloni Kushte (66) top scored with a magnificent half century. Patekar, who early in the day, had claimed three wickets and was the most successful bowler for her side, made a useful contribution with the bat. She scored an undefeated 55 and stitched a 74-run partnership with Kushte. Pooja Shah picked up a couple of wickets for Victory Cricket Club but that didn’t prove to hamper Rajawadi’s chances of qualifying for the semi-final.

Batting first, Victory Cricket Club were reduced to 186/9 in 20 overs. Prisha Devrukhkar starred with the bat scoring a gritty 44. Nandita Trivedi and Kritika Yadav chipped in with 27 runs each. However, that wasn’t enough. Rajawadi Cricket Club’s bowlers came hard at them with Patekar leading the charge. Alongside her, Diksha Pawar tickled the wickets column with two scalps.

Brief Scores: Victory Cricket Club 186/9 in 40 overs (P Devrukhkar 44; K Patekar 3/35) lost to Rajawadi Cricket Club 190/3 in 31.3 overs (S Kushte 66; P Shah 2/44) by 7 wickets