STATE TIMES NEWS
DAMBULLA: Contrasting fifties from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh were complemented nicely by the bowlers as India notched up a massive 78-run win over UAE in their second match of the ongoing women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament here on Sunday.
Invited to bat, Kaur played the anchor’s role to perfection with a 47-ball 66, while Ghosh produced late charge with an unbeaten 29-ball-64 to power defending champions India to 201 for five, their first-ever 200-plus score in T20Is.
The bowlers, led by Deepti Sharma (2/23), then produced a clinical show to limit UAE to 123 for 7 as India put one foot in the semifinals.
With two wins in as many games, India occupy the top spot in group A with four points and have a Net Run Rate of +3.298.
India will play their third and final group game against Nepal on Tuesday.
Chasing the daunting total, opener Esha Rohit Oza scored a 36-ball 38 (5×4, 1×6) but UAE never were in the chase as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Pace duo of Renuka Singh (1/30) and Pooja Vastrakar (1/27) dismissed Theertha Satish (4) and Rinitha Rajith (7) as UAE slipped to 24 for 2 in 5.2 overs.
Deepti then struck in her third ball, removing Samaira Dharnidharka (5) but Oza and Kavisha Egodage (40 not out) played some entertaining shots to score 20 runs in next three overs.
However, Tanuja Kanwar (1/14), who had replaced an injured Shreyanka Patil in the playing XI, had Oza stumped, while Radha Yadav (1/29) got rid of Khushi Sharma (10) as UAE fell to 95 for five in the 16th over.
Heena Hotchandani then became Deepti’s second victim and Rithika was run out in the last ball as UAE finished far away from India’s total.
Earlier, while the 35-year-old Harmanpreet blasted seven fours and a six during her innings, Ghosh slammed as many as 12 boundaries and a maximum, including five consecutive hits to the fence in the final over of the innings bowled by Hotchandani.
Kaur stitched two crucial partnerships, adding 54 off 39 balls with Jemimah Rodrigues and 75 off 45 balls with Ghosh to put India in a commanding position.