India Women clinch series with dominant display against Bangladesh

Dhaka, May 2 — India Women continued their impressive form in the T20I series against Bangladesh, securing a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the third match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

This win gives them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Bangladesh women, being sent to bat first, struggled to build partnerships and were restricted to 117 for 8 in their 20 overs.

Dilara Akter top-scored with 39, while Nigar Sultana contributed 28. India’s bowlers maintained tight control, with Radha Yadav scalping two wickets, and Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, and Radha Yadav each claiming a wicket.

“We started well in the powerplay, and then we started to lose back-to-back wickets; we also could not finish well in the last 15-20 overs,” lamented Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana.

Despite acknowledging the team’s recent struggles, she emphasised the importance of staying calm and believing in the process. She praised Dilara’s talent and energy, while acknowledging the need for improvement in the batting department as a whole.

Chasing a modest target, India’s openers, Smriti Mandhana and Player of the Match Shafali Verma, set the tone with a dominant 91-run partnership. Verma was the aggressor, smashing a quickfire 51 off 38 balls before being dismissed.

“The ball was coming nicely on my bat, and my plan was to hit the ball well,” said Verma, expressing her delight with her performance and the team’s victory. She also highlighted the strong partnership with Mandhana, stating, “We are both enjoying each other. She is always backing me, and I am really happy with the 2000 milestone. I hope we will score more than 5,000 runs together.”

Despite losing a couple of wickets in the middle overs, India comfortably reached the target with nine balls to spare.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised the opening partnership, highlighting Verma’s ability to provide quick runs in the powerplay. She also commended the bowlers for their consistent performance, acknowledging Deepti Sharma’s crucial contributions.

The last two matches of the series will take place on May 6 and 9 at the same venue.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from United News of Bangladesh.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).