India A win CricInfo 2000 Tourney in last ball thriller

A fitting finale today at the Jamia Millia Ground in Delhi saw India A win the CricInfo 2000 Tourney in a close finish. A match that went right down to the wire belonged completely to the batswomen. It's not often that a match is decided on the last possible ball. The pressure on both sides is immense in such situations and the team that does not panic usually comes out on top. That team, on the day, was India A.

After winning the toss, the India A skipper Purnima Rau made a bold decision and decided to chase. Having put India C in to bat on a wicket that kept pretty low, India A were in a bit of bother as openers Anju Jain and Amritha Shinde started well. The pair put on 34 runs before the dangerous looking Anju Jain was dismissed. Many a murmur went through the pavilion as a key batswoman had fallen early.

Amritha Shinde however, kept plugging away, in the company of Hemlatha Kala. After batting in commanding fashion in the league phase, Hemlatha could not sustain her form and was dismissed before she could trouble the scorers. With just 59 on the board, Amritha was trapped leg before by Purnima Rau. Although she managed to spend a lot of time at the wicket, Amritha Shinde never looked at her best. She played and missed on more than one occasion and the occasional edge eluded the fielders.

Gulshan Sharma and Arundhati Kirkire then put together a partnership that gave the India C side a total to defend. The two matched each other stroke for stroke and peppered caution with spurts of aggression. When time ran out and just 45 overs were finished, India A had 142 runs on the board and both batswomen were unbeaten on 45.

This looked like a solid total, but two veterans changed that impression. With 32 on the board and two wickets gone, Arati Vaidya and Purnima Rau came together. The two experienced campaigners took the bowling apart. Although there were patches when the bowlers landed the ball in the right spot and the fielders were on their toes, the two never lost their cool. Giving the youngsters a lesson in how to pace an innings, Purnima Rau and Arati Vaidya got the scoreboard ticking over well. Arati looked good in earlier games but did not actually get going. But there were no such problems today. When it mattered the most, she came up with a solid 44. After the two had added 80, Arati Vaidya hit a ball straight to the fielder at cover. Purnima too departed soon after and at 115/4, India C were well and truly back in the game.

Two fresh cricketers were at the crease and the difference was immediately obvious. Two quick run outs and India A were facing the possibility of a loss.

With just one over to be bowled, India A needed five runs for victory. Suneeta Kanojia who struck a boundary past mid off in the earlier overs was in the company of Suvarnalakshmi. The two managed to get four of the runs off the first four balls. After Suneeta Kanojia tapped the ball to the offside, Suvarnalakshmi set off like a hare. The ball however was safely in the hands of Neetu David. A good throw followed and Suvarnalakshmi had to run all the way to back to the pavilion. With one ball to go and one run to win, Vaishali Landge found herself at the non striker's end. Suneeta Kanojia struck the ball firmly to mid off and the two set off for a single. The pressure was telling as Bindeshwari Goel fumbled with the ball and the batswomen managed to scamper to safety. At the end of exactly 45 overs, India A had won by two wickets.