India, led by Deepika TC, were up against Australia, led by Courtney Lewis, in the 3rd game of the inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind. India won their first game of their campaign against Sri Lanka, led by skipper Mihirani Dulanjali, by 10 wickets.
Skipper Deepika TC won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Anekha Devi and skipper Deepika TC got their side off to a solid start with a 46-run opening stand. Samantha Hall cleaned up Anekha Devi (24 off 14 balls) in the 4th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for Australia.
Anu Kumari joined skipper Deepika TC at the crease, and the duo carried the momentum forward with a massive 109-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, which also took them past the 150-run mark. Emily Spencer broke the ominous stand by sending Anu Kumari (24 off 14 balls) back to the pavilion in the 12th over of the innings, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
The Indian skipper held fort from the other end, ensuring the momentum continued into the innings. Chanakan Buakhao got the big scalp of the opposition skipper, Deepika TC (91 off 58 balls), falling 9 runs short of her well-deserved century. A much-needed breakthrough for Australia in their attempt to control the scoring rate.
However, a breezy cameo from Phula Saren’s (54* off 22 balls) half-century propelled India’s total past the 250-run mark, ending the innings at 266/4 in their quota of 50 overs. Samantha Hall (2-0-27-1), Chanakan Buakhao (2-0-32-1), and Emily Spencer (4-0-62-1) picked up a wicket each with the ball for Australia.
The Australians suffered a slow over-rate penalty as a result; 26 runs were added to India’s total. Australia was set a revised target of 293 to win. Defending a humongous total of 293, the Indian fielders applied relentless pressure, which eventually resulted in a plethora of runouts with as many as 7 out of 8 Australian batters falling short.
A couple of Australian players were unwell; as a result, the Australian innings was wrapped up after the fall of 8 wickets for 83 runs in 19.3 overs.
The Aussies were a long way short of the target by 209 runs. The 21-run partnership for the 6th wicket between Samantha Hall and Chanakan Buakhao (32 off 40 balls) was the highest partnership of the run chase. Anekha Devi (1.3-0-6-1) was the lone wicket-taker with the ball for India.
Indian skipper Deepika TC was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational innings with the bat for her side. India registered their 2nd consecutive victory in the Inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup for the blind.
Loves all things female cricket