UP notch third straight win asbowlers skittle Saurashtra for 59 | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Three-wicket hauls by Chandni Sharma, Supriya Arela and Bharati Singh helped Uttar Pradesh bundle out Saurashtra for a paltry 59 in 17.3 overs, securing a massive 91-run victory in the Women’s Under-19 T20 Trophy at RDCA Ground, Raipur, on Wednesday. This was UP’s third consecutive win in the tournament.Batting first, Lucknow’s Shashi Balan struck a fine half-century as UP posted 150/8 in 20 overs. The start, however, was shaky with opener Nisha Verma falling in the third over at 12/1. Shashi Balan and Shubh Choudhary then stabilised the innings with a solid 98-run stand off 70 balls. Balan scored 52 off 41 balls, hitting seven boundaries, before being cleaned up by Saloni at 110/2 in 14.2 overs. After her dismissal, Saanvi Bhatia joined Shubh, but the partnership lasted only for eight runs before Shubh was stumped by Bhindi off Harshitaba Jadeja for 35 at 118/3 in 15.4 overs. Bharati Singh (14) then batted intelligently with the lower-order batters to take UP to 150. Chasing 151, Saurashtrs’s top-order batters Angel (3) and Deetya Singhvi (6) collapsed early. Skipper Saloni (19) and Himanshi Rathore (11*) were the only ones to get double digit scores while the rest of the team was bundled in single digits. Bhindi K (5), Krishas (7), Vaidikaba (1), Dhruvi Bhatasana (1) and Avani Chavda (2) were knocked over easily. In reply, apart from skipper Saloni (19) and Himanshi Rathore (11*), no Saurashtra’s batter managed to reach double digits and the team bundled out for 59 runs. Speaking to TOI, Under-19 right-arm leg-spinner Chandni Sharma said, “I am very happy with our performance. This is our third consecutive victory in the tournament. I took three wickets today, taking my total to eight wickets in three matches. The pitch was favourable, and we executed our plan well to put up a strong score and restrict the opponents early.” Team manager Saima added, “The team combination is excellent, and we are thrilled with our third straight win. We will now focus on our next match.”
