Thrilling Cricket Action at the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy Final

Defensive Batting Dominates the Final

In the echoing silence of the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium, the final of the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy between East Zone and South Zone commenced on Tuesday. With no spectators to cheer them on, the players had to find their motivation from within.

South Zone captain Minnu Mani won the toss and opted to bat first, facing the challenges of the dry, unforgiving heat. Deepti Sharma, leading the East Zone attack, and her young speedster Titas Sadhu, immediately made an impact, cleaning up the South Zone top order within the first 15 overs.

The onus then fell on S Sajana and Arundhati Reddy, both having registered impressive scores in the tournament so far. The pair played a cautious innings, determined to stabilize the innings. Deepti struck again in the 25th over, dismissing Reddy, who walked back with a tinge of regret.

“South Zone continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, with Trisha Poojitha, Sunanda, and S Anusha falling in quick succession.”

However, Arundhati Reddy found an able ally in teenager Shabnam Shakil, and the duo stitched together a 44-run stand for the ninth wicket – the highest of the innings.

Arundhati Reddy, despite struggling with heat exhaustion, reached her second half-century of the tournament. She found the boundaries with a few well-timed shots, helping South Zone cross the 100-run mark. Sushree Dibyadarshini finally dismissed Arundhati, and Deepti wrapped up the South Zone innings at 133 in 54.5 overs.

Close Finish Anticipated on Day 2

In their response, East Zone faced an early setback as Shabnam Shakil removed opener Uma Chetry in the second over. Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh then steadied the ship with a 34-run partnership for the second wicket. However, Minnu Mani and Sunanda Yetrekar struck back, dismissing Deepti and Richa respectively.

Dhara Gujjar, East Zone’s centurion from the quarterfinals, couldn’t repeat her feat, falling to Sunanda Yetrekar. Rizu Saha and Durga Murmu then stitched a crucial 44-run stand for the fifth wicket, which was broken on the last delivery of the day.

At the end of the day’s play, both Shabnam Shakil and Arundhati Reddy required medical attention due to dehydration, but the coaching staff remained confident in their recovery ahead of day 2.

East Zone ended the day trailing South Zone by 25 runs with five wickets in hand, setting the stage for an intriguing second day of the “100-ball cricket” final.

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