ban vs ind

Harmanpreet Kaur, debutant Asha Sobhana star as India make it 4-0 against Bangladesh in five-match T20 series

Danijones8 months ago8 months ago04 mins

Image Source : BCCI WOMEN X Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh stitched a 28-ball 44 partnership which probably was the difference in the end for India in the 4th T20I The Indian women’s cricket team is on the brink of a historic clean sweep against Bangladesh having taken a 4-0 lead with a rather comfortable victory by 56 runs on DLS method in a rain-curtailed game on Monday, May 6 in Sylhet. The match was reduced to a 14-over-a-side contest and the Indian batters came out all guns blazing, showing the intent to get to a strong score. Yes, they did lose wickets at regular intervals but the fearlessness on the show was a good reminder that this line-up can bat like that when required. Shafali Verma got out cheaply but Smriti Mandhana and Dayalan Hemalatha played their part with impactful 22 each. Hemalatha in particular was aggressive and hit two fours and as many sixes in her short burst. Then came skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who too looked to take attack to the opposition. After both Mandhana and Hemalatha got out, Richa Ghosh joined forces with Harmanpreet to get a few more quick runs for the side. The duo stitched a 44-run stand off just 28 balls and the team score went beyond 100. Ghosh got out after scoring 24 but a few lusty blows from the skipper at the end and another late cameo from S Sajana pushed India’s score to 122. Bangladesh needed to bat out of their skins to chase down 125 in 14 overs and the spin chokehold from India began from the outset with Deepti Sharma getting the opener Murshida Khatun early. Deepti struck again immediately after the powerplay before the oldest debutant for Indian women’s team Asha Sobhana got into her work with a couple of wickets. There was a lot of praying and gratitude from Asha after she got her main scalp as it meant a lot for her after a sensational couple of seasons in the Women’s Premier League following years of toiling in domestic cricket. After which it was a formality as the Bangladesh batters struggled and kept hitting out eventually to be restricted to just 68 runs and the Women in Blue completed yet another solid win. Skipper Harmanoreet Kaur was adjudged the player of the match for her 26-ball 39, which laid the platform for India to get to 122.

India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets, take 3-0 unassailable lead

Danijones8 months ago04 mins

A dominant India grabbed an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match women’s T20I series as they pummelled Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third match in Sylhet on May 02. After their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opted to field first looking at the cloud cover and a mild breeze, India’s bowlers dished out another disciplined performance to restrict Bangladesh to 117/8, which the visitors overhauled with nine balls to spare. When they came to bat, openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on 91 runs in just 12.1 overs to take India closer to a series win. Shafali got out after a 38-ball 51, hitting eight fours, while Mandhana found form as she struck 47 off 42 balls with the help of five boundaries and a six. Ritu Moni took a blinder off her bowling to dismiss Shafali while Nahida Akter accounted for Mandhana. But the damage was done. Earlier, the decision to bowl first did not yield the desired result immediately, as Bangladesh raced to 44 for no loss in the six powerplay overs. However, the Indian bowlers tightened the screws on the home team batters after the dismissal of Dilara Akter, who blazed away to 39 off 25 balls. The hosts’ brisk start was largely due to the batting of Dilara Akter who struck a few boundaries and negotiated the Indian bowlers without much difficulty early on at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, Bangladesh looked determined to give a better account of themselves and keep the rubber alive, two days after being shot out for 119 at the same venue. With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the objective is to finalise their middle-order, which has been having some difficulty. Even as Dilara kept the scoreboard moving at a fair clip, Bangladesh lost their first wicket when Murshida Khatun (9) was run out by the Deepti Sharma-Richa Ghosh combo. The star performer of the series opener, medium pacer Renuka Singh dealt a big blow on Bangladesh when her slower delivery on the leg side made contact with Dilara’s gloves on its way to Ghosh, even as the batter looked to hit it hard over the square leg region. The soft dismissal hurt the home team as the India bowlers looked to settle into a nice rhythm. At the end of the 10th over, Bangladesh were 66 for two, with their captain Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary in the middle. A poor example of running between the wickets led to the dismissal of Sobhana (15 off 20 balls), the diving batter failing to beat Renuka’s throw at the striker’s end. Fahima Khatun was out the first ball, given lbw off Shreyanka Patil after the new batter shuffled across to sweep the ball but missed the line completely.