In a thrilling encounter, India emerged victorious against Bangladesh in the T20I series, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. The match witnessed a fierce spin battle, with both teams relying heavily on their spinners to make an impact.
India faced a batting collapse, managing to post their lowest T20I total against Bangladesh, a modest 95 for 8. Despite a solid start from Shafali Verma, who played a quickfire knock of 19 runs, the rest of the Indian batters struggled against the crafty Bangladeshi spinners. Nigar Sultana’s exceptional bowling figures of 3-21, supported by Fahima Khatun’s excellent spell of 2-16, restricted India’s scoring opportunities.
Bangladesh’s chase seemed promising, led by captain Nigar Sultana’s responsible innings of 38 runs off 55 balls. However, the Indian spinners, led by Deepti Sharma and Minnu Mani, spun a web around the Bangladeshi batters, picking up crucial wickets at regular intervals. Despite Nigar’s resistance, Bangladesh faltered in the final overs, losing five wickets in the span of just eight deliveries.
Shafali Verma’s superb bowling performance in the last over, which included three wickets and a run-out, sealed the victory for India. The match showcased the dominance of spin bowling, with 35 overs of spin being bowled, resulting in 16 wickets falling to spinners. Fahima Khatun’s outstanding figures of 2-16 from her four overs further highlighted the spin-centric contest.
India’s batting struggles were evident as they toiled for runs throughout the innings. Bangladesh’s spinners capitalized on their familiarity with the conditions, stifling the Indian batsmen. In a ‘spin to win’ strategy, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur employed five spinners, including part-timers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, to keep the pressure on Bangladesh.
Shafali Verma, the bowler 🙌
W W • W • W
4 Wickets in the final 20th over for Shafali Verma.#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/fIIRosp8zS
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 11, 2023
The experienced Deepti Sharma played a vital role, picking up key wickets while maintaining a tight grip on the run rate. Minnu Mani’s exceptional figures of 2-9 from four overs, including a maiden, demonstrated her growing prowess in international cricket.
Apart from Nigar’s resistance, the Bangladeshi batsmen struggled to score freely against India’s spin attack. Nigar’s calculated innings aimed at rotating the strike, but with wickets falling around her, Bangladesh found it difficult to build substantial partnerships. Deepti Sharma’s crucial wicket of Nigar in the final over proved to be the turning point, leading to Bangladesh’s collapse.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH👏🏻🙌🏻
A well-deserved Player of the match award for Deepti Sharma for taking Nigar Sultana's wicket 🔥
She scored 10 crucial runs and picked 3 important wickets!#CricketTwitter #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/BNx4HwnYS0
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 11, 2023
With this series victory, India displayed their trust in their young bowlers, emphasizing the importance of giving them opportunities to shine. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur commended the performance of the team’s emerging talents and ability to handle pressure situations.
“In this series, we have a couple of young bowlers who are going to take the responsibility. It’s very important we show trust in them. No matter the situation, they have to come and bowl. We are not going to hide them in the field” added Harmanpreet Kaur, insisting the importance of the young players to step up when the team needs them.
A NAIL-BITING THRILLER 🤩🔥
🇮🇳 India manage to defend 95 runs.
A game-changing over by Deepti Sharma to get 🇧🇩 skipper, Nigar Sultana out.
What a last-over by Shafali Verma to seal the deal in the end! #CricketTwitter #BANvIND 📸: BCCI pic.twitter.com/PyNr6tBkrz
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 11, 2023
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