Women's T20 World Cup 2024

Twitter Celebrates Harmanpreet’s Heroics as India Boosts Semifinal Hopes

October 10, 2024
Team Female Cricket

India registered a commanding 82-run victory over Sri Lanka in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash, propelling them to second place on the points table with a much-improved net run rate of +0.54.

Twitter Celebrates Harmanpreet's Heroics as India Boosts Semifinal Hopes. PC: Getty
Twitter Celebrates Harmanpreet’s Heroics as India Boosts Semifinal Hopes. PC: Getty

After winning the toss, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opted to bat first, and the team responded with a strong total of 172. Though the start was slow, with Smriti Mandhana struggling early on, her opening partner Shafali Verma provided some momentum with a few boundaries to guide India to 41/0 at the end of the powerplay.

After settling in, Mandhana found her rhythm and played a key knock, eventually reaching a well-constructed half-century. However, both openers fell in quick succession, with Mandhana being run out and Shafali being dismissed by Chamari Athapaththu. Sri Lanka sensed a chance to claw back into the match, but Jemimah Rodrigues quickly extinguished that hope with a brisk 16, playing some clever shots to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Harmanpreet Kaur, after a slow start, unleashed her power in the death overs, blasting her way to an unbeaten 52 off just 27 deliveries, including some massive hits down the ground. Her late surge pushed India to a formidable 172, putting Sri Lanka under immediate pressure.

Defending the total, India’s bowlers were relentless from the outset. Sri Lanka’s top order collapsed within the first three overs, with Chamari Athapaththu falling to Shreyanka Patil and Vishmi Gunaratne out to a stunning catch by Radha Yadav, reducing Sri Lanka to 6/3. The early blows left Sri Lanka in disarray, and they never recovered from the situation.

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Kavisha Dilhari and Anushka Sanjeewani offered brief resistance, but it wasn’t enough to challenge India’s bowling attack. Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, both claiming three wickets each, finishing with identical figures of 3 for 19. Their efforts, combined with early breakthroughs from Patil and consistent pressure from the entire attack, bowled Sri Lanka out for just 90 runs.

Harmanpreet Kaur was named Player of the Match for her game-changing half-century, as India’s all-round performance not only secured a crucial win but also improved their net run rate significantly. The victory marked India’s largest winning margin in Women’s T20 World Cup history and reaffirmed their status as strong contenders for the title.

This win set social media abuzz, especially on “X” (formerly Twitter). Fans praised Kaur’s innings, Mandhana’s fifty, and the bowling brilliance of Reddy and Sobhana. Apart from this, Radha Yadav’s fielding also attracted attention.

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