Dhara Gujjar’s run-a-ball 123 (123b, 16×4) guided Bengal to a six-wicket win over defending champion Railways in the semifinals of the Senior Women’s one-day trophy at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Friday.
Railways, asked to bat, posted a formidable 300 for five thanks to C.H. Jhansi Lakshmi and Nuzhat Parween’s centuries.
Bengal, which chased down a record target against Haryana in the quarterfinals, relied on Gujjar’s hundred and Mita Paul’s half-century to achieve another big task and book a place in the final.
Bengal will meet Madhya Pradesh, which rode on Shuchi Upadhyay’s five-wicket haul to defeat Mumbai by seven wickets, in the title clash on Monday.
Left-handed opener Lakshmi (120, 140b, 16×4), who excelled with her timing, and wicketkeeper-batter Nuzhat (116, 118b, 12×4), who mixed her shots to find the gaps, added 217 runs for the second wicket and enabled Railways to score a challenging total.
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Bengal captain Saika Ishaque captured three wickets with her left-arm spin.
In Bengal’s reply, southpaw Dhara stepped out regularly to gather runs on either side. She stood for a 76-run stand with Tanusree Sarkar before forming a crucial 152-run partnership with Mita (76, 66b, 11×4).
Even though Dhara and Mita fell in quick succession, Priyanka Bala (20 n.o., 19b, 2×4) and Prativa Rana (14 n.o., 16b, 1×4) ensured victory.
“We looked to take the match deep. My partnership with Mita helped us a lot,” said player-of-the-match Dhara.
The scores (semifinals):
Railways 300/5 in 50 overs (C.H. Jhansi Lakshmi 120, Nuzhat Parween 116, Sneh Rana 30 n.o., Saika Ishaque 3/48) lost to Bengal 301/4 in 49 overs (Dhara Gujjar 123, Mita Paul 76, Tanusree Sarkar 35); Mumbai 161 in 35 overs (Ira Jadhav 35, Khushi 35 n.o., Shuchi Upadhyay 5/48) lost to Madhya Pradesh 165/3 in 47.2 overs (Ananya Dubey 75 n.o., Aayushi Shukla 44 n.o.).
