The Indian women’s team led by Varsha Umapathi had a great start to their campaign in the IBSA World Games beating Australia by a comprehensive margin, courtesy of an impressive performance by the bowling unit led by V Ravani and J Birua. The bowlers were also aided by an impressive effort on the field in terms of the fielding department.
Indian skipper Varsha Umapathi won the toss and opted to bat first against the hosts England. The Indian openers G Neelappa and S Patel got off to a flying start, scoring over 15 runs an over. However, S Patel had to make her way back to the pavilion courtesy of a run out to provide England their first breakthrough.
V Ravani joined opening batter G Neelappa at the crease and the onslaught continued as the duo powered India closer to the 100-run mark at the end of the powerplay. G Neelappa raced away to her half-century in just 21 balls. India lost V Ravani in the 11th over of the innings courtesy of a run-out providing the much-needed breakthrough for England, breaking the 124-run partnership for the second wicket.
Consecutive victories for the 🇮🇳 Indian Blind Women's Team!
They beat England by a whopping 185 runs.
G Neelappa: 117 runs & 1 wicket
V Ravani: 54 runs & 1 wicket#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/0wJFmAgJ7B— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 22, 2023
V Ravani completed her half-century in just 25 balls before getting dismissed on 54. P Saren joined G Neelappa at the crease and the duo carried on the momentum of the innings. India ended up with a massive total of 268 by the end of their quota of overs. G Neelappa completed her well-deserved century in just 49 balls and stayed unbeaten right till the end, scoring 117 off just 60 balls at an impressive strike rate of 195. Her knock included 14 boundaries. P Saren stayed unbeaten on 49 off just 32 balls.
Chasing a mammoth total of 269, England got off to a slow start scoring under six runs an over in the first four overs. They lost their wicket-keeper batter L Harvey courtesy of a run-out to provide India their first breakthrough. H Lawson joined England skipper K Jelfs-White at the crease but could not last long as she was cleaned up by the Indian skipper Varsha Umapathi.
L Brooks joined the skipper in the middle and the duo tried to steady the innings with a 21-run partnership for the third wicket. They eventually succumbed to pressure and as a result, kept losing wickets at regular intervals after the departure of L Brooks. England were restricted to just 83 in their quota of overs, handing a massive 185-run victory to India.
England skipper K Jelf-White was the lone warrior for her side, scoring 32 off 39 balls. She was the only batter to enter into double digits. Indian skipper Varsha Umapathi (2/13) and G Neelappa (1/11) were the pick of the bowlers for India, helping them seal a massive victory over England.