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BENGALURU: Indian women’s cricket team produced a clinical performance as they thrashed their Bangladeshi counterparts by 72 runs in the opening group league fixture of the ICC World T20, in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening.
Batting first, India scored a healthy 163 for five with skipper Mithali Raj scoring 42 off 35 balls and the hard-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur smashing 40 off 29 balls with three fours and two huge sixes.
In reply, Bangladesh could only manage 91 for five in 20 overs as they never looked like posing any challenge for the ‘Women In Blue’.
Put into bat, skipper Raj and her opening partner VR Vanitha (38, 24 balls, 7×4) added 62 runs for the opening wicket.
Brimming with confidence of being in good nick, the Indian captain started her innings by cracking back-to-back boundaries of Salma Khatun in the second over of the match.
Mithali was lucky on 28 as Khadija Tul Kubra spilled a return catch after she plopped a catch at a height. She was picked up by leg-spinner Rumana Ahmed, who foxed the batswoman, who ended up giving a dolly to Jahanara Alam. With scoreboard reading 95 for 2 in 15th over, Harmanpreet upped the tempo with two sixes one off Khadija’s bowling, hit over long-off and the other one was over deep mid-wicket off leg-break bowler Rumana.
Then in 18th over, Harmanpreet clobbered two consecutive boundaries of Rumana. The shots were treat to watch as she hammered one over midwicket and followed it up by whipping the between deep midwicket and long-on. (PTI)
score board
India Women innings
M Raj* c Jahanara Alam b Rumana Ahmed 42
VR Vanitha b Nahida Akter 38
S Mandhana lbw b Fahima Khatun 0
H Kaur c Nahida Akter b Rumana Ahmed 40
V Krishnamurthy not out 36
AA Patil lbw b Fahima Khatun 01
J Goswami not out 03
Extras 03
Total 163/5
Bangladesh Women innings
Sharmin Akhter run out (sub DB Sharma) 21
Ayasha Rahman c Poonam Yadav b Patil 04
Sanjida Islam c Patil b Poonam Yadav 02
Rumana Ahmed c Patil b Poonam Yadav 12
Nigar Sultana† not out 27
Fahima Khatun lbw b Patil 14
Jahanara Alam* not out 10
Extras 1
Total 91/5
