Anticipation ends and the quest for the elusive title begins. The India ‘A’ team began their campaign on a high as they throttled Hong Kong handing them an enormous 9-wicket defeat. The youngsters who were entrusted with the campaign, reaped the rewards with clinical acts of play, thanks to their resilient net sessions.
Batting first, Hong Kong put up a poor show with the bat as they ended with just 34 runs on the scorecard. Their lineup saw only one batter breach the double-digit figure, the batting crumbled like a deck of cards, which included 4 ducks. The hosts never looked in control, as they failed to stabilize the innings with a quick succession of wickets.
Indian All-rounder, Shreyanka Patil put up a sumptuous act of play with the ball as she scalped (5/3) in 3 overs. The stage was set on fire by the Bengaluru girl, every ball she delivered was Checkmate in the receiver’s end. India’s bowling crew was further supported by Titas Sadhu (1/3), Mannat Kashyap (2/2), and Parvashi Chopra (2/12). The line and lengths executed by the Women in Blue turned out to be turbulent for the hosts, aiding a massive batting collapse.
𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥 – Remember the name! 🔥
5️⃣ wicket haul & 1️⃣ maiden
Let’s congratulate the Player of the Match Shreyanka Patil for her brilliant performance in today’s match against Hong Kong 🙌🏻#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/qpLq72qa7K
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 13, 2023
Indians in reply, began with a shaky start as skipper Shweta Sehrawat had to depart early in the innings. But with the presence of Wicketkeeper Chetry and Gongadi Trisha India rode home to a comprehensive victory that encompassed pure domination from the word go.
There are several positives for India to take forward from this game, as they are a young unit, and delivering on the massive global stage will add to their confidence thus enabling them to entrust themselves with their illustrious abilities.
While the Hong Kong dugout will have to do a considerable amount of regrouping before stepping on the battlefield for their league-stage game. Skipper Kary Chan will look to have a chat with the batters and rejuvenate them for the encounters ahead.
Both teams will be in action again on the 15th of June when India ‘A’ takes on Nepal and Hong Kong take on the Pakistan ‘A’ team at the Mission Road Ground. This tournament ahead paves the way for some exhilarating experiences as the teams take centre stage in pursuit of excellence.