Rajini takes an engrossing contest North's way

North Zone captain Rajini Bhalla played a matchwinning knock of 54 not out (92 balls) to marshal her side to a thrilling two wicket victory over Central Zone in the CricInfo Rani Jhansi tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk today.

After Central had run up an extremely competitive total of 193/9 thanks to a typically aggressive knock from wicketkeeper Arundhati Kirkire, North were facing a sticky situation at 140/6 after 40 overs. Rajini displayed ice cold nerves under pressure and the tide turned with a 31 run seventh wicket stand that she compiled with Seema Wadhwa. The equation boiled down to nine in eleven balls with two wickets in hand and No. 10 Sandeep Saini struck the winning runs off the fourth ball of the last over. All the North players raced onto the field to cheer the two gladiators and especially Rajini who had, earlier in the match, delivered a tidy bowling spell of 1-18 in eight overs with her leg breaks.

After Central won the toss and elected to bat, openers Bharati Verma and Priyanka Sailey laid a strong foundation with a 59 run partnership. The North bowlers were a bit indisciplined to begin with as five wides and two no balls were gifted by Vandna Gupta and Asha Jain in the first two overs. Bharati was off the blocks in the fourth over with a couple followed by a boundary to mid wicket off Asha. The scoreboard was kept ticking away efficiently with singles being taken to fielders on the edge of the circle. Sandeep Saini was given the ball in the 12th over which went for 10 runs including a Bharati boundary to backward square leg.

The 50 came up off 12.2 overs but nine runs later Priyanka knocked Seema Wadhwa to Rajini Bhalla at mid off for 17. Two overs later, Bharati also departed, run out by Raakhee at short mid wicket, after being sent back by Arundhati. Her 29 (49 balls) included three hits to the fence. Chitra Bajpai and Arundhati now put on another profitable association of 55 runs in 13.2 overs. Arundhati laid into the hapless Seema in the 24th over with a straight driven boundary and a second four to wide long on.

The hundred came up in the 28th over and Central were well on their way to batting their opponents out of the game. Arundhati cut Vandna away to the square third man fence but in the same over the bowler came back well to knock Chitra's leg stump clean out of the ground. Preeti Dudhe came in with the score at 117/2 and got a fortuitous boundary through an Asha Jain misfield at mid on after she had on driven a well pitched up delivery from Reema. Asha did not have to rue that miss for long as Preeti gave a tame catch to Gulshan at square leg in the same over.

Off spinner Anjuman Bassi then snapped up two more wickets in quick succession as Seema Sinha was leg before for a second ball duck and Varsha Reffal skied one into the hands of Jaya at long on. Arundhati carried on serenely, getting to her 50 off 65 balls with a pull over square leg for four and after her dismissal in the 46th over, Central finally settled for a total of 193. Reema Malhotra's flighted leg breaks were successful albeit expensive, with figures of 3-51 while fellow spinner, Anjuman Bassi (2-26 off 10) had a rather more niggardly analysis.

Raakhee Mehra and Jaya began North's reply on a confident footing with Raakhee being especially strong square of the wicket on the off side, playing several sizzling square cuts to backward point and square third man. Jaya got a couple of boundaries herself before being trapped leg before on the backfoot by Leena Muley to leave the score at 25/1 in the eighth over. Raakhee had a close shave in the 11th over when Varsha threw down the stumps from cover as she tried to steal a single. But umpire Sumathi Iyer was not in position and had no option but to give the batswoman the benefit of doubt.

Spinners Bindeshwari Goyal and Preeti Dudhe were soon brought on as North reached the 50 mark in the 14th over. Gurdeep Kaur was giving Rajini good support as the two raised a 43 run second wicket association but Varsha Raffel, returning for her second spell, did the damage by having Raakhee caught by Arundhati behind the sticks for 42 (54 balls, 4 fours). Captain Rajini Bhalla, walking in at 68/2, was left to survey the ruins as Gurdeep too departed without any addition to the score, giving Bindeshwari a c&b. Rajini and the uniquely helmeted Gulshan Sharma cajoled the score to 96 before the latter played a lofted drive off Rahul Singh straight to midwicket. The hundred came up in the 28th over and Rajini and Reema Malhotra inched North closer to the target but Central still seemed to have the match under control until the arrival of Seema Wadhwa and the absorbing climax.