Then at the inaugural edition of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and now at the ACC inaugural edition of the T20 Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, it’s not the first time and surely not the last that we’ve witnessed the future superstars of the Indian women’s team dominate a multi-team series in the fashion they repeatedly have to emerge victorious.
Regrettably, rain played spoilsport during the ACC event, limiting the amount of cricket played. Nonetheless, India showcased their dominance in the matches they participated in, and here’s a quick look at India’s impressive campaign in the tournament that’s got the cricketing community buzzing in excitement.
India, in their season opener, faced Hong Kong and wreaked havoc with their bowling attack, taking wickets in quick succession. As a result, Hong Kong were bundled out for a meager 34 runs. Shreyanka Patil’s sensational 5-fer (5/2 off 3 overs) paved the way for India’s victory, and the duo of Uma Chetry and Gongadi Trisha successfully chased down the target in just 5.2 overs, securing a resounding 9-wicket win.
The next three league games and the Semi-Final against Sri Lanka were unfortunately affected by rain, resulting in no play. However, India secured a spot in the Final based on their commanding victory in the opener, which positioned them well in the points table. In a surprising turn of events, Bangladesh handed Pakistan an upset in their Semi-Final and marched their way to take on India in the Final.
In the Final, India got off to a decent start with openers Shweta Sehrawat and Uma Chetry scoring 13 and 22 runs respectively. Vrinda Dinesh top-scored for India with a superb knock of 36 off 29 balls, well supported by Kanika Ahuja. While wickets at regular intervals tumbled on an end, Kanika made a significant impact on the game with an unbeaten 30 off 23 balls as India managed to reach a total of 127, which seemed unlikely at one point.
Bangladesh didn’t have the best of starts losing three wickets within the powerplay and managing only 29 runs. India’s bowlers, led by Mannat Kashyap, took control of the game, with Kanika Ahuja and Shreyanka Patil consistently taking wickets. Despite Nahida Akter’s resilient innings of 17*( 22), India emerged victorious with a well-fought 31-run win, bowling Bangladesh out for 96. Shreyanka, with a 4-fer, led India’s wickets card, followed by Kashyap with 3 wickets and Kanika with a couple.
Here’s how Twitter reacted by sending their congratulatory message to the winning team:
Another impeccable victory for India as India A took on Bangladesh A at the #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup2023 & clinched the title 🏆💯
A proud moment for the nation 🇮🇳— Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) June 21, 2023
Congratulations to these future Indian superstars on their victory in the #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup final! Defending a fighting total, the bowlers were in top form right from the word go, denying the opponents any chance to make a comeback. This triumph marks the beginning of… pic.twitter.com/p9DnVIlYvy
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) June 21, 2023
Well done girls! 🏆 Wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on considering rain played spoilsport right through the tournament. Bowling again showed depth by defending 127. Congrats India A. #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup | #ACC pic.twitter.com/U4nprqiUE2
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) June 21, 2023
Huge congratulations to the Indian team on lifting the Women's Emerging Teams Asia Cup trophy! 🏆🙌 Keep soaring high! #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup pic.twitter.com/QsFzSbj4cu
— Smriti Mandhana (@mandhana_smriti) June 21, 2023
🇮🇳CHAMPIONS 🏆
Shweta Sehrawat and co. have done it 🥳#CricketTwitter 📸: ACC pic.twitter.com/15ppy2fvza
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 21, 2023