India led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was up against Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the 12th match of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first. The Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma got their side off to a flying start with a 98-run opening partnership, scoring at around 8 runs an over. India lost both their openers on successive deliveries in the 13th over of the innings. In the process, Shafali Verma became the youngest woman (20 Years and 255 Days) to score 2,000 T20I runs.
Jemimah Rodrigues joined skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease and the duo stitched a 30-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 130-run mark. Ama Kanchana picked up the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues (16 off 10) to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Sri Lanka. India eventually ended up with a total of 172/3 in their quota of 20 overs. It is also the highest score in this year’s 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s blazing, unbeaten half-century provided a blockbuster finish to the Indian Innings.
Skipper Kaur (52* off 27 balls), Mandhana (50 off 38 balls), and Verma (43 off 40 balls) were the top performers with the bat for India. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu (4-0-34-1) and Ama Kanchana (3-0-29-1) were the top performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
Chasing a target of 173, the Indian bowlers led by Renuka Singh provided the Women in Blue with a dream start, sending Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama back to the pavilion within the first three overs of the run chase. Shreyanka accounted for a massive scalp of the opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the 2nd over of the run chase.
🇮🇳 India triumphs with a statement win!
Semis qualification in their grasp!#CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/MYIIgzPtjr
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 9, 2024
Wicket-keeper batter Anushka Sanjeewani joined Kavisha Dilhari at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 37-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side close to the 50-run mark. Asha Sobhana picked up the wicket of wicket-keeper batter Sanjeewani to provide the much-needed 4th breakthrough for India.
Sri Lanka eventually was bowled out for 90 with one ball to spare, suffering a heavy 82-run defeat. The side lost wickets in regular intervals, in particular, their last six wickets for just 47 runs. Kavisha Dilhari (21 off 22 balls), wicket-keeper batter Sanjeewani (20 off 22 balls), and Ama Kanchana (19 off 22 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Sri Lanka. Arundhati Reddy (4-0-19-3), Asha Sobhana (4-0-19-3), Renuka Singh (4-0-16-2), and Shreyanka Patil (4-0-15-1) were the top performers with the ball for India.
Cometh the hour, Cometh the Captain 👏
Player of the Match for her blazing fifty – Harmanpreet Kaur 💙🇮🇳 #CricketTwitter #T20WoldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/ew0VuUXqCm
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 9, 2024
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational, unbeaten half-century (52* off 27 balls). She, along with the bowlers played a pivotal role in helping India seal a massive 82-run victory against Sri Lanka.
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