Team India defeated West Indies by six wickets at Newlands to make it two wins from two in Group 2 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh combined for a decisive 73-run partnership to put India within striking distance of victory, while spinner Deepti Sharma made game history by taking 3/15 and becoming the first Indian to reach 100 wickets in T20 internationals, according to the International Cricket Council.
And on a difficult afternoon for West Indies, they suffered a defeat as well as the potential loss of two key players, with Stafanie Taylor being carried off the field on a stretcher and captain Hayley Matthews appearing to be injured.
A lightning-fast start, inspired by Shafali Verma’s aggression, saw India rack up 41/2 in the Powerplay, putting them in command of a 119-run chase.
Smriti Mandhana was the first to go, stumped off Karishma Ramharack’s bowling, and Jemimah Rodrigues joined her in the pavilion after being sharply caught and bowled by Hayley Matthews.
Verma’s onslaught came to an end when she was caught for 28 from 23 balls, leaving captain Kaur and Ghosh in the middle with plenty of work to do. The game was also paused for a lengthy and concerning treatment for West Indies veteran Stafanie Taylor, who appeared to recur on the field from a back injury.
A classy partnership between Kaur (33 from 42) and Ghosh (44* from 32) helped India cruise to victory with plenty of time to spare, and West Indies were dealt another blow late in the match when captain Matthews appeared to sustain an injury, leaving the Windies facing the prospect of playing their remaining Group 2 matches without both of their star openers.
Earlier, after a strong second-wicket partnership threatened to set up a big first-innings score at Newlands, India’s bowling attack, inspired by the record-breaking Sharma, restricted West Indies.
Deepti Sharma became the first Indian bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets with her incredible 3/15 performance against the West Indies.
Source:OCN