Women’s U23 One Day Trophy: Poorva Bhaidkar’s all-round effort guides Goa to a 100-run win over J&K 

Goa concluded their journey in the Women’s U23 One Day Trophy by beating Jammu & Kashmir by 100 runs on Wednesday at Dadoji Konddeo Stadium in Thane.

Fuelled by Poorva Bhaidkar’s half-century, Goa posted 209/8 in 50 overs. Bhaidkar, batting at number four, top scored with 63 runs from 73 balls, including seven fours. It was her third half-century in seven matches. She was involved in a couple of 50+ partnerships with Divya Naik (23) for the fourth wicket and Tanaya Naik (35) for the fifth wicket.

Later in the innings, with the ball, Bhaidkar wreaked havoc as she claimed 4/19 in 10 overs, taking her tally to 16 wickets in this competition. The off-spinner, who opened the bowling, struck in the first three overs of her spell, dismissing the top three batters of Jammu & Kashmir, and then scalped one in the 33rd over. She found able allies in fellow off spinners Siddhi Savase (1/19) and Purvaja Verlekar (3/15), who chipped in with useful wickets.

With four wins in seven matches, Goa ended their campaign in this Women’s U23 One Day Trophy. Similarly, Jammu & Kashmir also signed off with two wins in their seven outings in this tournament.

After the match, Bhaidkar told Know Your Town, “I am very happy with my today’s performance since I could contribute in all three departments. I wanted to give my best and make it memorable since it was the last game of the tournament for us. It was a turning track, so my focus while batting was on taking singles and doubles to build my innings.”

Reflecting on her bowling, she added, “I bowled with the mindset of picking early wickets. I wanted to dominate right from the start and finish the game early for my team. When I was batting, I could sense that spinners were getting assistance. So, I backed myself to pitch in the right areas and pick wickets.”

Bhaidkar, who idolises MS Dhoni, started playing cricket at the age of around 10 with her father, who loves playing the sport. Later, she moved from Maharashtra to Goa (Pernem) and joined a cricket academy. She represented Goa Women’s U19 for a year and now plays for the state’s U23 and senior teams.