Shafali Verma's brilliant fifty coupled with Radha Yadav's fiery three-fer powered India to five-wicket win over Bangladesh on June 25, keeping their semi-final hopes alive in the Women's T20 World Cup.
India's semis hopes remain alive after beating Bangladesh
Chasing a lowly target of 137 target, the Indian batters clinical display ensured the team wrapped up the pursuit comfortably in just 16.5 overs, thanks to Shafali Verma's blistering 34-ball 53.
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India's ongoing fielding woes reached a frustrating new low at Old Trafford, allowing Bangladesh to fight their way to a total of 136 for eight. Having already dropped crucial points to South Africa in a defeat heavily blamed on poor fielding, the Indian team failed to learn their lessons, incredibly dropping four catches within the initial powerplay overs alone.
Shafali Varma's fifty steers India home
Despite the sloppy display in the field, India's target remained highly achievable, and opener Shafali Verma ensured the chase began at a blistering pace. Dominating the powerplay single-handedly after Smriti Mandhana fell early, Shafali dismantled both pace and spin, using her signature inside-out shots to propel India to a commanding 63 for one in the first six overs. She brought up a fiery 29-ball half-century—her second of the tournament—in the eighth over, puting India on the absolute brink of victory. However, her brilliant 53-run knock ended bizarrely in the ninth over when she was stumped by Nahida Akter; after under-edging a delivery, Shafali took off for a non-existent single, completely unaware that the wicketkeeper had already gathered the ball to whip off the bails.
Following Shafali's unusual departure, the Indian innings experienced a brief lull during the middle overs as the boundaries dried up. The momentum was quickly restored by Jemimah Rodrigues, who injected urgency into the chase with a crucial, fast-paced cameo of 26 runs from just 15 deliveries to put victory within touching distance. India ultimately crossed the finish line comfortably in 16.5 overs. With this win secured, the team's focus shifts entirely to June 28, where they face a monumental, must-win clash against heavyweight rivals Australia to secure their ticket to the semi-finals.
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Fielding woes continue to trouble India
India’s fielding lapses were particularly glaring as all four dropped catches were routine, straightforward chances that the fielders completely misjudged. The culprits included Nandani Sharma, Yastika Bhatia, and Radha Yadav—the latter having already put down two catches during the previous defeat to South Africa. The primary recipient of this generosity was Bangladesh opener Juairiya Ferdous, who was inexplicably repacked three times by the fifth over. While Ferdous managed to strike a few elegant boundaries, she ultimately failed to fully capitalize on her immense luck.
Radha Yadav breaks Bangladesh's back
Nandni Sharma experienced a chaotic outing, dropping both Ferdous and Sobhana Mostary off consecutive deliveries and receiving two official warnings from the umpire for running on the danger area of the pitch. She managed some redemption, however, by plucking a sharp return catch to finally dismiss Ferdous for a 31-ball 33. This inconsistent display highlights a broader issue for India, whose management has faced criticism for tactical instability, particularly through frequent chopping and changing in the pace department that has sidelined players like Kranti Gaud.
Inserted into the lineup for her first match of the tournament, pacewrecker Renuka Thakur made an immediate impact by striking in her opening over, removing Dilara Akter (4) via a catch to Sree Charani at deep square leg. Charani herself capped off the innings beautifully, delivering a masterful 20th over that yielded two wickets while leaking just three runs. Additionally, the unusual heatwave in the UK has played into the hands of the slow bowlers, prompting India to rely heavily on spin. This suited Radha Yadav (3/28) perfectly; putting her fielding mishaps behind her, she excelled with the ball by quickly removing dangerous standard-bearers Nigar Sultana (32) and Mostary (22).