Air India pip West Zone in thriller

West Zone lost an absolute humdinger to Air India in the CricInfo Rani Jhansi Trophy in Chennai today. Losing by just five runs to an Air India side that was made to work hard for victory, West Zone settled once more for silver in a big match. Despite a fighting 51 from skipper Kalyani, West Zone could not make the required runs.

Chasing 152, West Zone got off to a bad start, losing Amrutha Shinde early in the innings. Arti Vaidya looked confident while she took strike, stroking the ball effortlessly through the off side. Coming to the pitch of the ball, she used the angled bat to great effect, carving the ball through the gaps in the off side. However when she was going strong on 14 she tried to force the ball through the offside off the bowling of mediumpacer Smita Harikrishna. The ball flew off the face of the bat towards Manju Nadoda at slip. Sticking her right hand out in a split second, she plucked the ball out of the air just before it hit the ground.

In walked captain Kalyani Umbrani. She started slowly, content on pushing the ball into the gaps for ones and twos. As the overs piled on, the asking rate steadily crept up towards the six an over mark. Vice captain Sunetra Parajape played steadily at the other end. However, she perished just when things began to look solid for West Zone.

After Sunetra was dismissed, things began to look decidedly better for Air India. Sangeetha Kamat played a few good shots but could not sustain her aggression. Sulakshana Naik, drafted into the side to bolster the batting, livened up the proceedings with a pugnacious knock. Hitting cleanly through the line, she narrowed the gap between balls remaining and runs required. Sweeping the off spinners, she gave West a glimmer of hope. When she ran herself out pushing hard for a run that was simply not on, things were all but over.

Kalyani toiled bravely at the other end, but the pressure soon got to her as well. Till the end she showed enormous reserves of patience, waiting for the loose ball. When she made the fatal error of attempting to swing medium pacer Kusumalatha across the line, Air India had sealed the game. Kalyani had done well, making 51, but had not done enough.

Chandarani Kamble and Ashwini Nadkarni found the task at hand too big to handle and could only pick ones and twos. When the last ball was delivered and only a single taken off it, Air India had won by a slender margin.

Earlier in the day West Zone lost its fifth consecutive toss and were asked to field. Beginning well, skipper Kalyani and Neelima Waghmare got into rhythm immediately. Neelima has been right on the spot in the tournament so far, with returns of 2/17 from the last 20 overs she had bowled. Today was no exception. Bowling her overs on the trot as she has done so far in the tournament, Neelima troubled Purnima from the word go. When Purnima brought her bat down a shade late to a quicker delivery, the ball squirted through bat and pad and dislodged the bails.

Anjum Chopra, who made a flawless unbeaten 89 in her last innings, joined Anju Jain at the wicket. Anju grew more confident as the overs rolled by and chanced her arm against off spinner Sonali Chandok. Anju was lucky to be at the crease after three overs from the off spinner. Coming down the wicket she was totally beaten and only a lapse from wicketkeeper Ashwini Nadkarni let her off. However, she cashed in on the chance and went on to hit the ball crisply through the line.

Anju continued to strike the ball well, till she began to play across the line. Attempting to hit Sonali over the onside with the spin, she came very close to being caught at midwicket on more than one occasion. The ball eluded the fielder and it looked like it would be Anju's day.

Neelima finished her 10 overs for just 27 runs and captured the all important wicket of Air India captain Purnima Rau.

Anjum Chopra too looked comfortable at the wicket. Turning the ball behind the wicket with ease, she grafted for runs. When she hit the ball to Sangeetha Kamat at mid on and took off for a quick single she was struggling. Sangeetha, one of the better fielders of the tournament so far swooped in on the ball, picked up with one hand and let the throw rip. The ball nailed middle stump and Anjum was well short of her ground.

With two of the top three back in the pavilion and just 37 on the board, Air India would have worried a bit. There was more cause for worry as Anju skied a catch to Neelima at mid off. Beaten in the flight and just a shade off the wicket, Anju could not get to the pitch of the ball and Sonali was rewarded for a good spell. Once gain Sonali had shown that it was not essential to bowl flat to keep things tight. Giving the ball a lot of air she enticed the batswomen into false shots on many occasions without luck. She ended with a return of 1/29 from her 10 overs.

After the top three were dismissed, West Zone managed to keep things quiet. In turn the Air India team felt the pressure, having lost quick wickets. Sangeetha Kamat was pressed into action to bowl her mediumpacers and she was steady as ever. While not tumbling, wickets fell at regular enough intervals to stifle the scoring rate. Sangeetha helped herself to 2/22 off 9 overs.

In the last few overs, Air India managed to up their scoring rate with some crisp shots to the outfield. Air India ended on 152. Deepali Patkar and Manju Nadguda were the two unbeaten batswomen with 15 and 31 respectively.

At the end of the day it was the experience of Air India skipper Purnima Rau that made the difference. It was again a case of West Zone looking good for glory but having to settle for a pat on the back. It will be to their credit that they gave Air India a serious run for their money. However, there will be players in the West Zone camp who will believe that they lost a match they should have won. That is not very far from the truth.