Andhra went down fighting to Delhi in the third round of the BCCI Women’s Under-23 One-day Tournament at the Maharana Pratap College ground in Dehradun on Saturday.
Replying to Delhi’s 258 for five, Andhra took the fight to the rival camp and fought tooth and nail. However, they fell short of the target and lost by 11 runs. Delhi went to the top of the Elite Group E with three wins from three games. Andhra are placed third with one win from three games.
Andhra began the chase well and though they lost G Udvitha (11) with 38 on the board, they kept pace with the requirement. K Mahanthi Sree and Setu Sai V added 34 for the second wicket before Mahanthi was unfortunately run out by Disha Nagar after making a 66-ball 39 with six fours.
Setu Sai then added 34 for the third wicket with Y Hema Roshini before falling to Parunika Sisodia. Setu scored a 45-ball 32 with four boundaries and a six.
Wicketkeeper Roshini and P Ranga Lakshmi took the score to 121 before Roshini was bowled by Bharati Rawal for 24 which came off 41 balls with four fours.
Anjum topscored for Andhra
Ranga Lakshmi then joined hands with Anjum and the duo kept the scoreboard ticking at a brisk pace. This was the most productive phase of the innings. The duo added 59 for the fifth wicket off 54 balls. Ranga Lakshmi scored 37 off 30 balls and Anjum made 21 off 24 balls.
However, it was too good to last and Ranga Lakshmi was caught by Riya Shokeen off Parunika Sisodia after making a 41-ball 43 with three fours and two sixes.
Thereafter, Andhra lost their way as wickets fell quickly. However, Anjum kept the fight going and was the ninth wicket to fall at 240 for nine. Her departure put paid to Andhra’s hopes of pulling off an unlikely win over the strong Delhi side. Anjum made a 48-ball 56 with six fours and a six as Andhra ended their chase at 247 in 49.5 overs.
Siodia bagged three for 50, while Bharti Rawal took two for 55 and Disha Nagar got two for 57.
Delhi skipper Tanisha topscores with 67
Earlier, Delhi openers Nilanchal Nerwal and Mansi Sharma gave their side a solid start with a 86-run opening partnership. The duo scored at a brisk pace as they took on the Andhra bowlers. B Anusha got the breakthrough when she bowled Mansi for 33. She scored those runs off 52 balls with three fours.
Anusha had a hand in the dismissal of Nilanchal too. Anusha ran out the Delhi opener but not before she had made 65 off 107 balls with eight boundaries.
Skipper Tanisha Shah and Deeksha then added 59 for the third wicket before Deeksha fell was caught by G Udvitha off Shristi Sekhar for 26 off 38 balls with two fours.
Tanisha and Vanshika Lila continued with the run gathering as they added 37 for the fourth wicket before the skipper was caught by S Sailakshmi off Vishnu Priya. She made 67 off 58 balls with seven fours.
Vanshika remained unbeaten on 35 off 32 balls with five fours as Delhi made 258 for five. Shristi Sekhar took two for 44.
Brief scores: Delhi 258 for five in 50 overs (Nilanchal Nerwal 65, Mansi Sharma 33, Tanisha Singh 67, Deeksha 26, Vanshika Lila 35 not out; Shristi Sekhar 2/44) beat Andhra 247 in 49.5 overs (Anjum 55, P Ranga Lakshmi 43, K Mahanathi Sree 39, Setu Sai V 32, Y Hema Roshini 24; Parunika Sisodia 3/50, Bharti Rawal 2/55, Disha Nagar 2/57).
