India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on May 30 scripted history at County Ground, Bristol. She became the third batter in women's T20I history to cross the 4,000-run mark. She joined soon-to-retire New Zealand batter Suzie Bates and teammate Smriti Mandhana on the list.
Playing her first T20I on England tour, Harmanpreet completed 4,000 runs in the format in the 15th over of the run chase. She contributed with a 22-ball 28 in the unsuccessful run chase.
Now, the 37-year-old has scored 4,019 runs from 196 T20Is at an average of 29.77 and strike rate of 109.93. She has a century and 16 half-centuries in the format.
The top 2 run-scorers and another contender for 4,000-run feat
Ahead of Harmanpreet, Mandhana has 4,325 runs from 165 T20Is at an average of 30.03 and strike rate of 124.63, including a century and 33 fifties. The top spot is occupied by Suzie. The White Ferns veteran batter has 4,720 runs from 183 T20Is at an average of 28.78. She has scored a century in 28 fifties in T20Is. Among current cricketers, the closest to the 4,000-run mark is Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu with 3,752 runs.
India falter in run chase
In the run chase of 169, India managed to post 142/9. After a flying start, India lost the plot in the middle overs. Yastika Bhatia was retired out but the required run rate was slipping out of the grasp. The middle and lower-middle order couldn't get going straightaway and India lost the match by 26 runs.
After the defeat, Harmanpreet rued too many dot deliveries in the middle overs.
“No doubt they got 10 to 15 runs extra in the last over, and I think we started really well. It was only about building the partnership but unfortunately, we played too many dot balls in the middle and I think that really cost us,” Harmanpreet said in the post-match presentation.
“I think unnecessarily, we put pressure on us. When we were getting runs, we should have kept rotating the strike, but we played a lot of dot balls in between and that put a lot of pressure on us,” she added.
With series levelled at 1-1, the decider will be played on June 2 in Taunton.