One of the stalwarts of women's cricket in India, Purnima Rau at 33 finds herself at the twilight of her career. She admits that the CricInfo Women's World Cup 2000 could possibly be the last competitive tournament she plays. Right now she finds herself as the captain of the Air India team. Though she usually bats in the middle order, Purnima is more than comfortable opening the innings. A clean striker of the ball, Purnima has been one of the first players in Indian women's cricket to attempt to take advantage of the field restrictions in place during the first 15 overs of a limited overs game. More than skill, it is her ability to judge a batsman that makes her a more than useful off spinner. She has been used in two roles as a bowler, as a partnership breaker and as an offspinner who can run through her overs quickly and stem the flow of runs. She has placed on record her desire to make the CricInfo Women's World Cup 2000 her swan song. Unfortunately, that was not to be, despite her best efforts. Overlooked for the captaincy, Rau put her experience to good use. Unfortunately, her bowling rhythm was all but destroyed in the middle of the tournament when doubts about the legality of her action were raised first by sections of the media and later by the umpires themselves. Rau recovered in time to carry the bat in the semi final against New Zealand. She was unbeaten on 67 when India succumbed to a low score and were beaten comprehensively by the hosts.
(Anand Vasu)