Senior Women's One-Day League: Top 5 performances so far

One of the most prominent competitions for Indian women cricketers in the domestic circuit -- Senior Women's One-day league is over three weeks old now. And by all means, this time, it has surpassed all the hype woven around it.

The event has got bigger and better in many terms. Introduction of new teams, more competition, best facilities (except video-recording of matches in Mulapadu), and the transparent process for the selection into the national side are few of them.

As a result, players look more determined than ever to represent the country. From hustling through the daily routine, following a strict regime, working hard on their fitness, and training rigorously in the nets, players are willing to give more than 100%.

Despite going through such a demanding period, for a performer, it all boils down to the game day. And there is no certainty that it'll always yield better results. It could go either way. It could be a wonderful day on the field or could be way worse. Players got to be ready to accept it.

Some of the best possible performances of the group stage are mentioned below. Let's have a look at them.

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#5 Punam Raut, 136* (Railways vs Saurashtra)

Punam Raut is watching the ball after smashing over mid-off

The Mumbai born right-hand batswoman, Punam Raut is the most consistent and reliable opener for Railways. At the top of the batting order, she is just as good as anybody in the world. Moreover, playing long innings is her specialty, and she is living up to the tag very well.

About the performance

Having scored a decent amount of runs in the season so far, Punam was not shy of bagging more runs and trending at the top of the list of highest scorers of the league. She is hungry yet determined.

After beautifully neglecting the opening bowling spell of Saurashtra, Punam Raut with her other opening partner, Shweta paced the Railways' innings brilliantly.

Despite losing wickets from one end in regular intervals, Punam was slowly but steadily driving Railways' total to a hefty one. Raut shared some decent partnerships with her teammates, but it was she, who held on to one end and kept teasing the bowlers.

On-drive, off-drive, straight-drive or square cut, she played them all elegantly throughout and proudly raised her bat after scoring the century -- her second of the season.

Punam Raut has collected 338 runs off 7 innings in the tournament as of now. But with a couple more games to go, she will definitely love to plunder as many runs as she can.

#4 Priya Punia, 143 (Delhi vs Tamilnadu)

Priya Punia raising her bat after scoring fifty for India Red in 50-over Challenger Trophy

Priya Punia, the right-hand opening batswoman from Delhi, after having a fantastic run in the ongoing domestic season, is all set to wear the blue jersey on the New-Zealand tour. Earlier, she had represented India A while New Zealand toured India in 2015, and also, India Red in the 50-over Challenger Trophy 2017-18.

The interesting thing is, Priya Punia and Virat Kohli have something in common. They both were trained in Delhi under the same coach -- Rajkumar Sharma. And now, she is happy to experiment her entire learning.

About the performance

Having failed in the first game of the tournament, Punia would be extremely unhappy with her preparations. This was not the sort of start she wanted after an almost 10-month long wait. Thereupon, she put her thoughts together before the 2nd game against Tamilnadu and was determined to put up a better show.

Priya Punia started off her innings in a very composed manner and saw off the new ball patiently before she lost her partner in the 15th over. She was on 27 then. Priya was very well aware what the situation demanded of her, and she aligned her entire knowledge of the game in that direction.

She was very precise with her shot selection be it the cover drive, straight drive, leg glance or taking a single. Technically, she was prodding the bowlers to make a mistake and fed upon them. Eventually, Punia won the battle. She scored her first century of the season in just the 2nd game and that is too against a quality side. Punia was thrilled with her efforts.

Her 143 runs off 154 balls, comprising gruelling 52 singles and stylish 19 boundaries, will surely be among the best of the innings she has played so far in her career. However, Priya Punia is currently among the top 5 run getters of the tournament with 407 runs in 8 innings at a remarkable average of 50.88.

#3 Tejal Sanjay Hasabnis or T S Hasabnis, 148 (Maharashtra vs Haryana)

Tejal Hasabnis is a very talented prospect to watch out for in the future.

Tejal Hasabnis, the batting all-rounder from Maharashtra, is a powerful batswoman as well as a capable off-spinner. Like her role models, Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, she can be seen copying their style in her batting.

The way she carries herself on the ground, builds the innings, stays unfazed and smashes the bowlers at will once she settles, is very typical of Hasabnis.

The 21-year-old has represented India A and India Green in the past. And recently, she expressed her desire to wear the blue jersey.

About the performance

Tejal loves to dominate the game from ball one, and that's exactly how she kicked off her innings against Haryana women. She scored her fifty in no time and kept piling on runs even after that at the same pace.

Getting her teammates' support from the other end and moving closer to a personal milestone, Maharastra could sense a mammoth total on its radar. Opposition skipper Mansi Joshi had used up eight bowlers, yet they all looked perplexed. They were desperate to find their rhythm back. But Tejal and captain Anuja Patil were in no mood to spare them.

Riding high on confidence, Hasabnis went on scoring a scintillating hundred off just 92 balls. Still Tejal felt no sign of fatigue, rather kept on tearing apart the bowling attack. By the time she finished her innings, she had hit 147 runs off 131 balls. Maharastra may have witnessed more of such innings in the past, but it was the first of many to come for the Vijayawada people.

With 347 runs in 8 innings at an average of 43.38, Hasabnis is trending among the top ten run-getters of the league.

#2 Radha Yadav, 43 & 4/20 (Baroda vs Karnataka)

Radha Yadav is a fighter and she has proved it.

Barodian all-rounder, Radha Yadav made her international debut at the tender age of 17 years. Starting her journey from Mumbai's slums to representing the nation at the highest level, Radha has sacrificed a lot in her life. She is the first woman player from Gujarat to play for India. The story of the struggle of the left-arm spinner is not less than an inspiration to many girls who see cricket as their way of life.

Captaining Baroda this year, Radha Yadav has experienced some good as well as the bad days in the business. But her emergence as a responsible player in the domestic as well as the international circuit has filled her with immense confidence to face any battle on her own.

About the performance

Baroda was almost but out of the tournament, if it wasn't about this game against Karnataka. Here, Baroda was left with only one option to stay afloat in the tournament, 'to register a win over Karnataka or go home empty-handed'.

Batting first, Baroda folded for a paltry total of 136. It was not the kind of performance any captain would hope from its team in a do-or-die game. Still Radha Yadav was the sole silver lining in a faltered batting show from Baroda. She scored valuable 43 runs and shared a significant partnership with Tarannum Pathan.

A total that was like a piece of cake to Karnataka witnessed a lot of ups and downs. Karnataka lost half of the team before touching the 50-run mark and was cruising to a definite defeat. At one end, Karnataka was battling hard to turn things around, whereas on the other, Radha & Co. were determined to make the task uphill.

In the end, the experience and maturity of Radha Yadav won the battle for Baroda. They bundled up the Karnataka women just 7 runs short of the target. Skipper Radha fetched some unbelievable numbers in her bowling, i.e. 10-5-20-4. She is currently among the top five wicket-takers of the league with 19 wickets in 8 games.

It will definitely take some time to sink in, but it was a memorable win by all means.

#1 Jemimah Rodrigues, 133* & 3/23 (Mumbai vs Bengal)

Jemimah Rodrigues sporting a smile during a practice game

Jemimah Rodrigues, the right-hand batswoman hails from Mumbai. The talented young Indian opener over her past performances has now established herself as a permanent fixture in the senior team. The 18-year-old batting prodigy has proved herself to be the next big thing in Indian women's cricket.

Many professionals have admired her technique and composure in recent times. Talking about her cricket, Jemimah can bat anywhere in the batting line-up and can fill in for any bowler who's having a bad day. She is a gun-fielder as well.

About the performance

The two heavyweights of the elite group B came face to face when the group stage was about to end and qualification was at stake. The equation was crystal clear to both the teams. Whoever wins, will move to the knockouts, and whoever loses will have to win the next game to qualify for the next round.

Bengal put up a competitive total of 194 runs in the pressure game, where Prativa (80) and Jhulan Goswami (43) were the major contributors to the final score. To halt the Bengali chariot, Mumbai tried as many as 8 bowlers, and indeed it worked to some extent. Jemimah registered 3/23 off her bowling.

Boasting over their past performances, Jhulan Goswami, the skipper of Bengal, was confident enough to pull off this low-scoring game. But the 18-year-old batting sensation, Jemimah Rodrigues had extremely different plans. While other batters were struggling to push past through the fielders, Jemimah was just slaughtering the bowlers at will.

Rodrigues was not only making batting look easy, but also let the Bengal bowlers feel weary. Scoring 133 not out in just 118 balls at a spectacular strike rate of 112.71 with 19 graceful boundaries backing it, it was just a wonderful example of the highest quality of batting on the show.

Jemimah is trending at no. 2 in the top scorers' chart with 435 runs in 8 innings, whereas at no. 21 in the top wicket-takers' chart. With more matches in her hand, she would definitely love to pile on more runs and take more wickets.