Apart from those in the two dugouts, there were under 20 people in total at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium here for the final of the Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy.
South Zone needed one wicket to pull off a famous victory, East Zone needed six runs. The ‘audience’ was scorers, the doctors on call, ground staff, caterers, cameramen and logistics staff waiting to run in with the BCCI hoarding for the presentation ceremony, but everything paused as everyone stood waiting for the pendulum’s final swing.
Minnu Mani had the ball and was deftly using the cracks in the surface to pose questions of the East batters. On strike, precariously so, were Titas Sadhu and Annapurna Das. It took 12 balls, a lucky boundary and some good running for East to seal a too-close-for-comfort one-wicket win after three gruelling days in the sun.
East resumed on its overnight score of 30/2, calmly seeing off the first 40-odd minutes before Sahana Pawar’s left arm spin helped see off Uma Chetry.
Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh then steadied the chase into a comfortable gear, looking set to see the win through with a 62-run stand in 79 balls for the fourth wicket.
South Zone tried and tried hard to break this partnership but in the end, East shot itself in the foot when a miscommunication led to Deepti and Richa at the same end. Richa walked back furious, evening snapping at teammates who came to calm her down as she headed to sort her head in the safety of the dressing room’s privacy.
East Zone captain Deepti Sharma with the coveted Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy. | Photo Credit: LAVANYA LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
That dismissal shook Deepti, with Minnu Mani adding to the nerves by breaching Rizu Saha’s defence and sending her back for a nine-ball duck.
With 66 runs still to go, the captain found an ally in Monikha Das, but the running between the wickets was not smooth. East Zone coach Umesh Sethi had to keep encouraging the players to talk more to each other so the scorers could leave East’s wickets column alone.
Blame it on the heat, the nerves to just get the win in the bag or just poor judgement; soon enough, Deepti whipped out the sweep shot and holed out to Tammana Nigam at deep backward square off Sahana’s bowling.
The teams broke for lunch with the decibel levels dying in the East dugout. Post lunch, Monikha survived an LBW dismissal courtesy of Saik Ishaque’s presence of mind to ask the umpire to check for a no-ball.
Sahana got her wicket soon enough, sending Saika back to the hut. Minnu dismissed Monikha and then Sushree Dibyadarshini with South pushing for another wicket to snatch what would have been a cherished victory.
The nervous energy on the pitch escalated with each passing ball. Three boundaries - two from Annapurna Das and one from Titas Sadhu, all breaking free from the tight field around the batter brought the target down to two runs needed for East. Two singles six balls apart helped the side to a relieving victory with the loudest screams coming from the coach and captain in the East camp.
Former India captain Shubhangi Kulkarni felicitates Deepti Sharma as the ‘Player of the series’. | Photo Credit: LAVANYA LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
Former India captain Shubhangi Kulkarni was in attendance to felicitate the winners, with East getting a cheque of INR 50 Lakh for its triumph, while runner-up South, which managed to keep its opponents on the toes all through this fixture, was rewarded with INR 20 Lakh for its efforts, bringing the curtains down on the 2023-2024 domestic season.
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