Kanpur: Opener Vernika slammed a splendid century to propel Uttar Pradesh to a convincing 64-run victory over Madhya Pradesh in a Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy match at Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C, Rajkot, on Thursday. Batting first after skipper Archana Devi opted to set a target, Uttar Pradesh posted a strong total of 285 runs. The UP bowlers then bundled out Madhya Pradesh for 221 in 46.2 overs.Vernika and Sampada laid a solid foundation, adding 177 runs for the opening wicket in 27 overs. The pair batted responsibly and kept the Madhya Pradesh bowlers at bay before the partnership was broken by Shuchi Upadhyay, with Ananya Dubey taking the catch to dismiss Vernika for a fine 107 off 94 balls, studded with 18 boundaries and two sixes. Sampada contributed a valuable 62 off 83 deliveries, including eight fours, before falling to Aayushi Shukla. However, the incoming UP batters failed to capitalise on the strong start, losing wickets at regular intervals. Sonali Singh was the next-best contributor with 25 runs. For Madhya Pradesh, Shuchi Upadhyay and Aayushi Shukla were the most effective bowlers, picking up three wickets each. In reply, Madhya Pradesh failed to get a solid start from their openers. Aayushi Shukla and Ananya Dubey attempted to rebuild the innings with a 77-run partnership for the second wicket. The stand was broken by Shilpi Yadav, who dismissed Aayushi Shukla for 56 off 64 balls, including seven boundaries. Pooja Vastrakar then played a key role in the chase, forging two important partnerships. She added 54 runs with Ananya Dubey for the third wicket and later put on 64 runs with Tamannah. Vastrakar’s resistance ended when she was caught by Archana Devi off Sandhya’s bowling for a well-made 67 off 81 balls, laced with eight fours. Tamannah was bowled by Arju for 34. The remaining Madhya Pradesh batters failed to sustain the momentum, and the innings folded for 221. Sandhya emerged as the most successful bowler for UP. returning impressive figures of 4 for 38. Brief scores UP – 285 (Vernika 107, Sampada Dixit 62; Sanskriti Gupta 2/46, Aayushi Shukla 3/46, Shuchi Upadhyaya 3/79, Priyanka Kaushal 2/60) MP – 221 (Aayushi Shukla 56, Ananya Dubey 38, Pooja Vastrakar 67; Sandhya Chhetri 4/38, Shilpi Yadav 2/33)
