Keep hopes of semi-finals alive: Women's T20 World Cup 2024

An all-round performance by Team India against reigning Asian Cup champions Sri Lanka on Wednesday night at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, resulted in them achieving the biggest-ever margin of victory -  82 runs, in Women's T20 World Cup history. The win, their second in three Group A league games, not only ensured them valuable two points and a second position in the league table – behind current champions Australia, against whom the Harmanpreet Kaur led side will play their final league match on Friday. Further the improved Net Run Rate from -1.217 to +0.576 will play a pivotal role in India booking a semi-final spot, in case of a triple tie with arch rivals Pakistan and New Zealand who currently occupy third and fourth position with two points in the league table.

Batting first, powered by contrasting fifties by their top order batters Harmanpreet Kaur (52* off 27 balls), Smriti Mandhana (50 off 38) and a sedate knock by Shafali Verma (43 off 40) upfront saw India post 172 for 3 in their allotted 20 overs.

Shafali who infact assumed the role as early aggressor early on reached 2,000 T20I runs in the process, becoming the youngest player to reach the milestone. Her opening partner Mandhana soon joined the party, striking the first six of the game off the final ball of the seventh over to bring up the 50 partnership. But just as India looked to be sailing to a commanding total, the brakes came on their innings courtesy a double blow in the 13^th over bowled by rival skipper Chamari Athapaththu with 98 runs on the board.  Just two balls after passing 50, the Smriti was run out by Ama Kanchana when looking to scamper through for a single, paying the price for a slight hesitation halfway down the track. Shafali too departed the very next ball, top edging into the hands of Vishmi Gunaratne off the bowling of Chamari.

The new batters Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur who were both offered a reprieve when looking to reassert India's dominance. Jemimah was dismissed for 16, unable to cash in having been dropped just an over prior, but Harmanpreet took full advantage after being given a second life by Inoka Ranaweera on 22. The Indian skipper smashed her way to 52 off just 27 deliveries for her 13th and fastest T20I half century, bludgeoning a four from the final ball to sign off India’s innings in style.

The highest score in the tournament so far proved to be too steep a mountain to climb for Sri Lanka, who were eventually bowled out for mere 90 runs inside 20 overs, after having lost their three top order batters in the first 14 balls of the chase with six runs on the board.

Asha Sobhana (3/19) and Arundhati Reddy (3/19) were once again the pick of Indian bowlers after pacer Renuka Singh (2/16) had Vishmi Gunaratne (0) caught brilliantly by substitute Radha Yadav whose dived full length running back after running from backward point region. Spinners Shreyanka Patil (1/15) who dismissed the dangerous Chamari (1) and Deepti Sharma (1/16) were the other successful bowlers.

Top order batter Kavisha Dilhari (21) who added 51 runs for the fourth wicket with Anushka Sanjeewaniand (20) offered some resistance, but Sri Lanka fell increasingly behind the rate as India’s spinners wreaked havoc, with the final wicket falling with a ball to spare.

Post the match Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka Captain whose team lost there third match in a row said, "We really struggled with our bowling today—missed a few catches and the bowlers didn’t get their line and length right. Even the batters didn’t step up, so we need to go back and review what needs to be improved. Yes, the first game of the tournament is always crucial. We lost a low-scoring contest against Pakistan, which brought down the morale in the dressing room. But these things happen in cricket. We’ve got one more game to turn things around.I’m satisfied with my bowling performances overall, not so much today, but in the previous two games, we bowled well."

Indian skipper and player of the Match Harmanpreet Kaur said,  "We just aimed to keep the momentum going. Smriti and Shafali gave us the perfect start, which is exactly what we had planned. We focused on the importance of not losing wickets unnecessarily, regardless of the situation. Full credit to both of them for staying sharp and playing smart shots without taking unnecessary risks. Even after we lost two quick wickets, Jemimah and I focused on maintaining the run rate around seven to eight per over, and things just flowed from there."

She further added “You always want to feel good about your performance, and today we ticked all the boxes. We batted, bowled, and fielded well, which was really satisfying. Fielding has been a focus, and it was great to take all our catches.We had discussed our targets before the game, but these tricky pitches mean you have to adapt. We lost two quick wickets, which required us to stay on our toes, but things went according to plan. We aimed for 160 and ended up with over 170, which was crucial. In situations like this, it’s not just about winning but also improving net run rate. We need to focus on playing good cricket against Australia. Our bowlers are in rhythm, and while Australia is a tough side, we’re delivering key breakthroughs. We just need to keep bowling well and not overthink the opposition, especially with these unpredictable wickets."

Brief scores (Group A League Match): India - 172/3 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 52*, Smriti Mandhana 50, Shafali Verma 43; Chamari Athapaththu 1/29) beat Sri Lanka 90 all out in 19.5 overs (Asha Sobhana 3/19, Arundhati Reddy 3/19) by 82 runs. Player of the Match: Harmanpreet Kaur (India)

Photo Cover : Captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front and scored a blistering fifty was named the Player of the Match (Photo courtesy BCCI)

Photo Above : Openers Shafali Verma and Vice-Captain Smriti Mandhana provided a solid start of 98 runs for the first wicket to set up India’s highest score in Women's T20 World Cup