4 Barodians in BCCI women’s team

Vadodara: Fourteen years ago she picked up the bat to play for the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) and thereafter regularly opens for the women’s cricket team. But now, Palak Patel’s dream to play for India is set to come true after the cricketer has been picked for the Challengers Trophy after a good performance in the domestic tournament. Patel scored 327 runs in five matches including one century in the BCCI senior women’s cricket one-day tournament held at Nagpur between October 31 to November 6. “It is for the first time that I have been picked for the Challengers Trophy and I am excited to play in it,” Patel told TOI. Besides Patel, three other women cricketers from the city — Tarannum Pathan, Radha Yadav and Yastika Bhatia — have been picked for the Challengers Trophy. Pathan gave an all-round performance by scoring 206 runs including an unbeaten 103 in four matches and apart from bagging eight wickets in the BCCI tournament. Bhatia scored 225 runs in five matches including an unbeaten 107 runs against Chhattisgarh girls. Yadav, who was playing Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, too has been selected in the BCCI tournament.“It is a proud moment for the BCA as four of our girls have been picked in different teams in the Challengers Trophy that will be played at Vijaywada from December 5. They were selected after giving a fantastic performance in the BCCI women’s cricket tournament. Our girls will give their best and try to perform well,” said Rajkuvardevi Gaekwad, chairman of BCA women’s cricket selection committee.