India Women stayed alive in the race for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinal spot with a 5 wicket victory over Bangladesh in Manchester, but the result came with a sense of what might have been. Chasing 137, India reached the target with 19 balls to spare thanks largely to Shafali Verma’s attacking 53(34), yet a match that could have significantly boosted their net run rate ended up being more complicated than it needed to be.
The biggest reason was India’s fielding effort in the opening stages of Bangladesh’s innings. India put down four catches inside the first five overs, allowing Bangladesh’s batters multiple reprieves and missing an opportunity to seize complete control of the contest early. Bangladesh eventually posted 136/8, a total that looked unlikely at one stage given the number of chances offered.
Juairiya Ferdous capitalised on one of those lifelines to score 33(31), while captain Nigar Sultana added 32(27). Sobhana Mostary chipped in with 22(26) as Bangladesh recovered from an early setback and pieced together useful partnerships through the middle overs. Despite the missed opportunities, India’s bowlers ensured the innings never got away from them.
Radha Yadav was the standout performer with 3/28, removing key batters during the closing overs, while Shree Charani continued her impressive tournament with figures of 2/21. Renuka Singh(1/21) struck early and Deepti Sharma(0/23) helped keep the scoring rate under control.
India’s chase was far more convincing. Shafali came out with positive intent and immediately put pressure on Bangladesh’s bowlers, racing to a half-century from just 29 balls. Her innings of 53(34), featuring eight fours and a six, powered India to 63/1 in the powerplay and gave them the platform they needed. Yastika Bhatia contributed 23(18), while Jemimah Rodrigues added a lively 26(15) to keep the chase moving.
Bangladesh fought back through Ritu Moni (2/29), Rabeya Khan (1/19) and Nahida Akter (1/24), picking up wickets through the middle overs and preventing India from racing to the target. Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 13*(14), with Deepti Sharma (5*) finishing the job as India reached 139/5 in 16.5 overs.
For Bangladesh, the performance offered plenty of positives particularly the way their batters responded after early pressure and how their bowlers continued to fight despite defending a modest total. India meanwhile, collected two important points though both sides will likely look back on a match shaped significantly by the chances created and missed during the opening overs.
Loves all things female cricket