Jharkhand’s first run in the knockout stage of the women’s Under-19 competition ended in defeat, but the result has now led to an official complaint. The team lost to Uttarakhand by one run in the T20 championship pre-quarter-final in Nagpur last week. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has approached the BCCI, claiming an error by the official scorers affected the result. A run completed before a run-out was not added to Jharkhand’s score. The missing run changed the equation in the final two deliveries.
Uttarakhand had set a target of 135, and Jharkhand entered the final over on 127 for 7. They needed eight runs from six balls. Three runs came from the first three deliveries, leaving five required from the next three. The fourth ball brought the key moment: Lakshmi Kumari was run out while the batters tried for a second run. However, they had already completed the first run before the dismissal. The scorers entered the run-out but did not add that run to Jharkhand’s total.
The official scoreboard therefore showed five runs needed from the final two balls, although Jharkhand actually required four. Uttarakhand then bowled a wide, reducing the official target to four from two deliveries. Another run-out followed when the batters again attempted a second run. With one wicket remaining, the scoreboard showed three runs needed from the last ball. The correct requirement, with the earlier run included, was two.
Jharkhand could not finish the chase. On the final delivery, the batters again went for a second run, but another run-out left them with one run from the ball. The official result was a one-run win for Uttarakhand. If the completed run on the fourth delivery had been credited, the scores would have been level. The disputed entry therefore changed the equation shown during the closing balls and the final margin recorded.
The result ended Jharkhand’s first campaign in the knockout stages of the women’s Under-19 competition (Elite). Head coach Jaskaran Singh told Cricinfo that reaching this stage had been important for the side, making the defeat especially disappointing. “This was the first time Jharkhand had qualified for the knockouts of the women’s Under-19, so the result is extremely disappointing,” he said. He also explained why the match mattered to the players: “Had this been a league game, the situation may have been different. For players in particular, tournaments like these are extremely important.”
Singh said the team checked the video of the final over before making its complaint. He said the footage showed the run had not been recorded and that the team raised the issue with match referee Anupa Narvekar immediately after the presentation. “We even got the video of the final over checked within the team before lodging a complaint, and it was very clear that the scorers had made a mistake.” The coach also said: “We hope the matter will be looked into so that we can prevent such errors again.”
JSCA’s complaint asks the BCCI to examine the scoring error. The team reviewed the footage and approached the match referee after the presentation. The association wants the incident formally reviewed. Jharkhand’s first knockout appearance has ended in a one-run defeat, with the uncredited run at the centre of the association’s complaint.
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