J&K beats roaring Bihar by 5 wkts

Victorious J&K Senior Women team posing along with support staff at Kolkata.
Victorious J&K Senior Women team posing along with support staff at Kolkata.

Senior Women’s One Day Trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

KOLKATA, Nov 1: Stylish and gritty Bushra Ashraf was in awe-inspiring touch with the willow, while solid Rudrakshi Chib displayed character, composure and promise and almost all the bowlers, especially seamer Sarla and skipper/off-spinner Sandhya Sayal were once again at their best as strong J&K got the better of formidable and roaring Bihar by 5 wickets in their Plate Group Round IV match of the BCCI’s Senior Women’s One Day Trophy at 22 Yards, Salt Lake, here today.
Earlier, winning the toss and batting first, Bihar managed to score a modest total of 115 runs in 46.3 overs. Prity Kumari top scored with 23 runs off 49 balls, studded with 4 boundaries, while Priti Priya, Arya Seth and Pragati Singh contributed 18, 16 and 15 runs to the total respectively. None of the other batters could manage to cross the double figure mark.
Almost all the J&K bowlers were once again at their best and on target, hitting the good areas and bowling with disciplined line and length. Sarla Devi was pick of the bowlers, who captured 3 important wickets by conceding 24 runs in her 10 overs, while Sandhya Sayal bagged 2 wickets by giving away 18 runs in 10 overs. Nadia Chowdhary and Ananaya Sharma also claimed 1 wicket each by conceding 19 runs and 15 runs in 10 overs and 6 overs respectively. Wicket-keeper Lalita, as usual, was superb behind the wickets, while Sheerazah Banoo, Bushra, Rudrakshi and Rubia displayed extraordinary fielding skills.
In reply, Jammu and Kashmir rode on a brilliant batting display by middle-order batter Bushra Ashraf and young Rudrakshi Chib to seal the victory by 5 wickets as J&K reached the target in 43.5 overs, losing 5 wickets in the process. Bushra slammed a magnificent unbeaten half-century (54 runs) off 93 balls, including 5 crispy boundaries. Her innings was an amalgam of solidity and aggression, while Rudrakshi Chib set an example of solidity and composure and scored 22 runs off 94 balls with the help of 3 delectable boundaries. Rubia Syed also chipped in with 8 off 6 balls which included a massive six. For Bihar, Vaidchi Yadav bagged 2 wickets, while Apurva and Nirdela Bharti claimed 1 wicket each.
This is J&K’s 4th consecutive win in the tournament, putting it at the top of points table with 16 points, followed by Nagaland with 8 points. Now, J&K will face Manipur in their next outing on November 3 at JU Second Campus, Salt Lake, here.
The J&K team is being accompanied by Chetan Dhingra as Head Coach, Ankita Jalla as Manager, Rajesh Dhar as Jt Manager, Abida Khan as Bowling Coach, Lathi as Fielding Coach, Rohit Rana as Strength and Conditioning Coach, Hinan Maqbool as Side-Arm Throwdown Expert, Susheel Pajnu as Video Analyst, Dr Ashwariya Jamwal as Physician and Talia Qadri as Physio.