India beat West Indies by six wickets in their second league game of the T20 World Cup in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Off-spinner becomes the first Indian woman or man to reach the 100-wicket mark in T20Is. It was their first international since the exciting day from the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.
If Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and the returning Smriti Mandhana had not fallen for glory strokes at an asking rate that was less than run-a-ball, the victory might have been even more significant.
However, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh led the team to victory from 43/3, chasing 119, with a 72-run stand broken when Kaur holed out in the deep.
The West Indian challenge was stopped by Ghosh’s 44* (32) flashing blade and Kaur’s (33) touch. India’s power hitter Ghosh chased the target down with 11 balls to spare with a half pull in the Caribbean-style past square leg.
This victory propels India and England to the top of the Group B points table. Following their narrow victory over Pakistan.
Deepti Sharma became the first woman or man in Indian history to score 100 T20I wickets. On a slow wicket that helped spin, her outstanding innings of 4-15-3 stifled West Indies batsmen.
I am pleased because it is a significant milestone. However, I will continue to concentrate on the upcoming World Cup matches,” Sharma stated after the match.
The West Indians only made two really good runs on the power play and one at the end that scored 12 runs.
However, India’s leading pacers Renuka Thakur (4-22-1) and Pooja Vastrakar (4-21-1) perfectly complemented Sharma’s efforts. They could not generate the necessary momentum for their innings.
Stephanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle’s second wicket stand was the only time West Indies batted in the match.
Taylor did get two exquisite boundaries once the field was spread out, despite their partnership’s strictly steady pace.
A lofted drive-over covers, holding her shape against Thakur. An inside-out in the same region against Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s spin.
When Campbell (30) fell while attempting her first reverse sweep of the match, West Indies’ fortunes began to deteriorate.
Mandhana caught her hard at short third off of Sharma. Taylor was bowled by Sharma in flight right away, and he retired on 42 in the 14th over.
Unfortunately for Taylor, her back issues resurfaced, necessitating her being stretchered out while fielding, casting doubt on her future participation.
It wasn’t a perfect match for India. Fielding is one area that the support staff would have identified as needing improvement, as evidenced by a dropped catch and several missed run-out opportunities.