Shafali Verma's brigade clinched the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup after defeating England by seven wickets in the summit clash on Sunday (January 29). The emphatic victory ended India women’s jinx at World Cup events healing the wounds of Mithali Raj-led India who lost to England in a closely-fought ODI World Cup 2017 final.
Meanwhile from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma to Mithali Raj, the past and present of Indian cricket hailed the Teens in Blue's efforts in achieving historical feat.
India first bundled out England for 68 in 17.1 overs and then returned to knock off the paltry target in 14 overs to lift the coveted trophy. The win on Sunday also reaffirms India's dominance at the U-19 level with the boys winning the world title in the Caribbean last year. India's bowling attack, led by pacer Titas Sadhu and supported by leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra, set up the comprehensive win on Sunday as they blew England away with a clinical display at Senwes Park. While Sadhu showed that Indian women pace bowling is in safe hands following the retirement of Jhulan Goswami with impressive figures of 4-0-6-2, Chopra too continued her dream run as she snapped two for 13. Archana Devi also scalped 2 for 17, while Mannat Kashyap (1/13), Shafali(1/16) and Sonam Yadav (1/3) accounted for one wicket each as England were all at sea after being asked to take first strike.
Let's have a look at the reactions which flooded the Twitter walls while praising the Shafali Verma's brigade.
India men's cricket team's skipper Rohit Sharma tweeted,"Big congratulations to the U-19 girls cricket team for winning the World Cup. Well done on making the nation proud🇮🇳 #JaiHind @bcciwomen".
Meanwhile, India's batting juggernaut Virat Kohli tweeted,"U-19 World Cup Champions! What a special moment! Congratulations girls on your triumph".
Star India's woman batter Smriti Mandhan tweeted,"Champions of the world. Proud. Absolutely proud of the bunch. Champions in the inaugural edition makes it even more special. This is just the beginning. Go team💙 #U19T20WorldCup #TeamIndia".
The legendary India's women cricketer's tweet read,"CHAMPIONS! 🇮🇳 Congratulations #TeamIndia, this is a monumental achievement! This fantastic victory shows how dominating you have been throughout the tournament. The triumph is even more special considering this is the first-ever Women's #U19T20WorldCup. Cherish every moment!".
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly tweeted,"Congratulations to the Women’s under 19 team for winning the World Cup .. it’s a great stepping stone for the girls to take their game to the higher level ."
Meanwhile, India's gold medallist Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra tweeted,"Enjoyed watching this moment from the stands. Congratulations Team India @BCCIWomen on making history #INDvENG #U19T20WorldCup".
Former India's explosive batter tweeted,"Congratulations to the Indian Girls for winning the Under 19 world cup. Dominating performance @BCCIWomen Enjoy the moment #INDvENG."
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary tweeted, “Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher. I am delighted to announce INR 5 crore for the entire team and support staff as prize money. This is surely a path-breaking year.”
