Bengal secured a hard-fought victory against Tripura in the senior women’s one-day cricket tournament held at the Gurugram Cricket Academy ground on Tuesday. Despite a valiant effort by Tripura’s Mouchaiti Debnath, who scored a remarkable century, Bengal chased down the 224-run target with nine balls to spare, clinching the win by five wickets.
Winning the toss, Tripura elected to bat first but faced early setbacks. With the scoreboard reading just 5 runs, Jhumki Debnath was dismissed, leaving the team in trouble. However, Mouchaiti Debnath and captain Tamanna Nigam steadied the innings with a solid 115-run partnership off 146 balls for the second wicket. Tamanna contributed a composed 44 runs off 71 balls, including seven boundaries.
After Tamanna’s dismissal, Mouchaiti found support from vice-captain Hriju Saha, who added 30 runs off 47 balls, including two boundaries. The duo put on 65 runs for the third wicket.
However, a middle-order collapse saw Tripura struggling to accelerate. Despite this, Mouchaiti remained unbeaten, anchoring the innings with a brilliant 111 runs off 154 balls, including nine boundaries.
Tripura ended their innings at 224 for eight in 50 overs. Bengal bowlers Dhara Gujar, Saika Ishaque, and Chandrima Biswas each claimed two wickets, ensuring Tripura’s total remained within reach.
In response, Bengal displayed a well-rounded batting performance. Mita Pal emerged as the star, delivering a match-winning knock of 91 not out off 96 balls, including eight boundaries. Her innings not only anchored Bengal’s chase but also stole the momentum from Tripura.
Supporting contributions came from Dhara Gujar, who scored 46 runs off 78 balls, and T. Sarkar, who chipped in with 31 runs off 51 balls. Rishita Basu added a quickfire 28 runs off 31 balls, while Pratibha scored a crucial 17 runs lower down the order.
Tripura’s Anwesha Das tried to keep her team in contention, claiming three wickets for 32 runs, but Bengal’s composure ensured victory in 48.3 overs.
This win places Bengal in a strong position in the tournament standings, while Tripura, with two losses in three matches, faces a tough challenge ahead. They will take on Rajasthan in their next game on Thursday, hoping to revive their campaign.
Brief score:
Tripura: 224/8 in 50 overs (Mouchaiti Debnath 111*, Tamanna Nigam 44; Dhara Gujar 2/18, Saika Ishaque 2/33)
Bengal: 225/5 in 48.3 overs (Mita Pal 91*, Dhara Gujar 46; Anwesha Das 3/32)
(Tripura, Northeast)