India Women produced a dominant batting display to chase down Bangladesh Women’s competitive total in a crucial ICC Women’s T20 World Cup encounter, securing a five-wicket victory with 19 balls remaining. The match saw Bangladesh put up a fighting score of 136/8 in their allotted 20 overs before India Women successfully chased the target, reaching 139/5 in just 16.5 overs.
Bangladesh Women began their innings with the challenge of building a strong foundation against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Openers Dilara Akter and Juiariya Ferdous added 40 runs during the powerplay before India struck back. Dilara Akter struggled to accelerate and was dismissed for 4 runs off 8 balls, with Shree Charani taking the wicket with Renuka Singh involved in the dismissal.
However, Juiariya Ferdous continued attacking and built a valuable second-wicket partnership with Sobhana Mostary. The duo took Bangladesh past 50 runs, adding stability after the early setback. Ferdous played a fluent knock of 33 runs from 31 deliveries, hitting five boundaries, before being dismissed by Nandni Sharma.
Sobhana Mostary contributed 22 runs from 26 balls, but Bangladesh lost another wicket at 79 when her innings ended against the Indian bowling attack. Captain Nigar Sultana then attempted to rebuild the innings with Sharmin Akter. The pair added important runs, with Sultana scoring 32 off 27 balls and Sharmin making 10 from 12 deliveries.
Their partnership helped Bangladesh reach the 100-run mark, but India kept applying pressure in the middle overs. The closing stages of Bangladesh’s innings saw contributions from Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni and Rabeya Khan. Shorna Akter scored 13 off 10 balls, while Ritu Moni provided a late boost with 8 runs from 4 deliveries.
Bangladesh eventually finished on 136/8 after 20 overs. For India, N Sree Charani was the standout bowler, claiming 2 wickets for 21 runs in 4 overs. Renuka Singh picked up 1 wicket for 21 runs, Nandani Sharma took 1 for 32, while Radha Yadav was highly effective with 3 wickets for 28 runs. Deepti Sharma also contributed with a controlled spell, finishing with figures of 0/23 from 4 overs.
Chasing 137, India Women started aggressively during the powerplay, reaching 50 runs in just 4.4 overs. However, Bangladesh managed an early breakthrough when Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 8 runs off 6 balls. The early wicket brought Shafali Verma to the crease, and she responded with a breathtaking counter-attacking innings. Alongside Yastika Bhatia, Shafali built a crucial partnership that placed India firmly in control.
Shafali Verma smashed 53 runs from just 34 balls, including eight boundaries and one six, maintaining a strike rate of 155.88. Her aggressive approach ensured Bangladesh never regained control of the chase. Yastika Bhatia played a supporting role with a composed 23 off 18 balls before falling with India comfortably ahead. Bangladesh briefly fought back with wickets, dismissing Richa Ghosh for 10 runs and reducing India to 94/3. Richa was trapped by Rabeya Khan.
Jemimah Rodrigues then guided India closer to victory with a quick 26 off 15 balls, striking three boundaries and one six. Her partnership with the middle order ensured Bangladesh’s hopes faded quickly. Rodrigues was dismissed by Ritu Moni, but captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma calmly finished the chase. Harmanpreet remained unbeaten on 13 off 14 balls, while Deepti added an unbeaten 5 off 2 deliveries as India reached 139/5 in 16.5 overs.
Bangladesh’s bowlers struggled to contain India’s aggressive batting approach. Marufa Akter took one wicket for 28 runs in 3 overs, Ritu Moni claimed 2 wickets for 29 runs in 4 overs, Rabeya Khan finished with 1 wicket for 19 runs, and Nahida Akter picked up 1 wicket for 24 runs. Despite taking five wickets, Bangladesh could not slow down India’s scoring rate.
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