Tejal, Raghvi fifties in vain as Australia A win 1st One-dayer
Mackay (Australia), Aug 14
Fine half-centuries by middle-order batters Raghvi Bist and Tejal Hasabnis went in vain as India A lost their opening One-day match against Australia A by four wickets, with Katie Mack scoring a century for the winners.
This is the fourth successive defeat for India A on their tour of Australia following their 0-3 whitewash in the T20 series in Brisbane.
India, after setting a modest victory target of 250, thanks mainly to Tejal’s 53 (67 balls) and Raghvi’s 82 (102 balls, were thwarted by Aussie opener Katie’s 129 (126 balls).
Katie enjoyed fruitful half-century partnerships with fellow opener Maddy Darke (27) and Charli Knott (26) and a century stand with skipper Tahlia McGrath (56).
India’s pace bowling stalwart Meghna Singh (2/43) and spinner Minnu Mani (2/53) took two wickets each.
With only a handful of senior India players in the side, India had an inauspicious start, losing openers Shweta Sehrawat (1) and Priya Punia (6) cheaply. At 56/3, India A were in dire straits but Tejal and Raghvi, both making their One-day debut for the country, stitched a 55-run partnership to take the visitors past the century mark.
Raghvi also shared half-century stands with skipper Mani and Shipra Giri (25 not out).
Brief scores: India A: 249/9 in 50 overs (Raghvi 82, Tejal 53; Brown 4/23); Australia A: 250/6 in 47 overs (Mack 129, McGrath 56; Meghna 2/43, Mani 2/53). — PTI
