Opener Shamima Sultana played a calm innings with Bangladesh needing just 102 runs for a win as Bangladesh secured their first win over India on their home patch in Mirpur on Thursday, July 13. With the ball, it was Rabeya Khan who took key wickets but a lot of their performance was also down to their impressive fielding.
Needing a small target of 103 for a victory, the Bangladesh batters kept their cool despite losing wickets in key intervals. Debutant Rashi Kanojiya did not have the best of starts to her career, and was the most expensive bowler, conceding 31 runs without getting a single wicket.
Sultana kept the pressure on her opponent bowlers, even as the wickets fell around her. She stitched a small yet effective partnership of 46 runs with Nigar Sultana, but the skipper had to depart after scoring 14 runs. Eventually, the team needed 18.2 overs to chase down this small target, with Nahida Akter and Ritu Moni clinching the win in a dead rubber game for their respective sides.
Earlier, India's top-order batters Jemimah Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur could not build on the momentum that they made as the side's frailties in the middle order were almost immediately exposed. Yastika Bhatia was the last batter who managed double digits (12 off 17), as Nahida Akter took one wicket, accosted a run-out, and also caught the ball off Rabeya Khan's bowling to take the game to the Indian batters.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana's issues against off-spin continued after she was dismissed for just one run in Sultana Khatun's first over.
The surface has proved to be "tricky" throughout the low-scoring series and considering that, Harmanpreet opted to bat first.
Shafali and Mandhana once again failed to provide a good start to leave India at 27 for two in six overs.
Mandhana got herself into an awkward position while trying to work one towards the leg side and ended up getting a leading edge with Bangladesh captain and keeper Nigar Sultana doing the rest.
Shafali was caught at long on, failing to clear the fence.
Jemimah Rodrigues (28 off 26) and Harmanpreet stitched a 45-run stand to take the innings forward before the former was stumped off leg-spinner Shorna Akter. Unlike the previous game, Jemimah showed positive intent in her innings and made good use of her feet against the spinners.
The lack of six-hitters in the squad was exposed again as Harmanpreet was the only one to have cleared the ropes. Once Harmanpreet was stumped in the 17th over, wickets fell in a heap as Indian batters failed to get the required boundaries.
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