Veda Krishnamurthy takes India C to the final

Another thrilling game took place between India C and India A at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Thursday (January 9) where India C registered a nail-biting win by two runs. The win came on the back of a quickfire knock from Veda Krishnamurthy. Later two three-wicket hauls from Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Arundhati Reddy helped India C reach the final.

Having elected to bat first after winning the toss, India C got a big blow. They lost their in-form opener, Shafali Verma, in the very first over for a duck. Madhuri Meheta and Nuzhat Parween then tried to steady the ship with a stable 57-run partnership. Meheta who was playing her first game of the tournament looked more composed in the middle.

With timely boundaries and singles, both of them managed to put up 41 runs in the powerplay. However, Meghna Singh successfully broke the stand by dismissing Parween who tried to hit big but didn't get the elevation. She hit it towards the leg-side and found Harmanpreet Kaur at the mid-on. Soon Radha trapped Meheta before the stumps for 36.

India C were at 67 for 3 in 12.2 overs when they needed another partnership. Captain Veda Krishnamurthy joined Hemalatha Dayalan in the middle and got her eyes in no time. She smashed three consecutive boundaries off Devika Vaidya and broke the shackle. Her blitzy 47* off just 29 balls with seven fours and a six was important for the team.

However, Hemalatha Dayalan looked struggling a bit in the middle despite smashing two sixes. Her knock came to an end after Deepti Sharma took an easy catch in the boundary. After 20 overs, India C managed to put up 135 for 4. Radha Yadav picked up 3 for 23 for India A.

While chasing, Taniya Bhatia opened the innings with Priya Punia. Bhatia showed her intent and hit three boundaries in the first over off Manali Dakshini. While Taniya was taking on the bowlers, Priya held at the other end who later joined the party. Their quickfire knocks took India A to 49 within five overs.

However, Bhatia’s stormy 19-ball 31 came to an end by Kshama. After the powerplay, both Hemalatha and Tanusree Sarkar did well to restrict the opponent by not giving many chances to open their arms. Once again, Arundhati Reddy dismissed Harmanpreet Kaur in the tournament for 13 off 23.

While the wickets were falling at one end, it was Priya Punia who stood strong at the other end. However, soon Deepti Sharma joined Kaur in the dug-out. Punia who got a life earlier by Parween off Hemalatha scored the first fifty of the tournament. She took on both pace and spin bowlers. Her free-flowing batting reduced the equation to 37 off 30 deliveries.

With seven wickets in hand, India A were looking for a comfortable win. But Gayakwad (3 for 28), and Reddy (3 for 29) had some other plans. While Reddy removed Sneh Rana (1) and Devika Vaidya (0) off consecutive balls, Gayakwad dismissed Shivali Shinde (3) and Fulmali (10) in a same way.

In the final over, India A required 12 runs to win. Tanusree Sarkar, the off-spinner, kept her calm and India C managed to register a two-run win. With this win, Veda Krishnamurthy led India C sealed the place in the final. They will face India B on Friday (January 10).

Brief Scores: India C 135-4 in 20 overs (Veda Krishnamurthy 47*; Radha Yadav 3-23) beat India A 133-9 in 20 overs (Priya Punia 60; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-28) by two runs.