Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh have sealed a 7-wicket win for India in their Group 2 match of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Chasing 150-run target, India Women Cricket Team did fumble but Ghosh and Rodrigues put up an unbeaten 58-run stand to take India home with an over to spare. Earlier, Bismah Maroof and Ayesha Naseem put up an 81-run stand to help Pakistan put up 149/4. Maroof scored 68 and Ayesha smashed 25-ball 43. Radha Yadav was the best bowler for India with 2/21.
Chasing a target of 150 to win, Jemimah struck a brilliant 53 not out off just 38 deliveries. She struck eight boundaries while Richa hit five fours during their unbeaten knocks as India reached 151 for 3 in 19 overs, their highest successful chase in the T20 World Cup.
Shafali Verma (33 off 25 balls) and Yastika Bhatia (17) gave India a good start, stitching 38 runs in 5.3 overs. But Shafali’s dismissal in the 10th over with Sidra Ameen taking a fine catch near the boundary set India on the backfoot.
One-down Jemimah survived a close stumping call as India reached 67 for 2 at the halfway mark. Harmanpreet struck a boundary from the third delivery she faced and repeated it in the same 11th over to swell the Indian total. But she was guilty of trying to slog-sweep across the line and against the turn off the bowling of Fatima Sana. The top edge was easily taken by Bismah Maroof as India were reduced to 93 for 3 in 13.3 overs.
India needed 83 runs from the last 10 overs and despite the fall of crucial wickets, the good start and batting depth kept India in the hunt. But the run rate kept climbing for India as they needed 47 from the last five overs. With Jemimah and new batter Richa getting the boundaries often, the equation became 28 runs from three overs.
Richa turned the match on its head as she hit three successive boundaries in the first three balls of the 18th over bowled by Aiman Anwer. Needing 14 from the last two overs, Jemimah struck three fours in the penultimate over to end the match in a jiffy.
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