India comfortably secured a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their first international cricket match in over four months at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday, July 9th.
Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma delivered exceptional bowling performances, restricting Bangladesh to 114 for five in the first Women’s T20 International. Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 54 off 35 balls, supported by Smriti Mandhana’s 38 off 34 balls, ensured India chased down the target with 22 balls to spare.
Opting to field first, India’s decision was justified as Vastrakar began with a maiden over, exploiting the movement in the air. Debutant Minnu Mani claimed the first wicket by bowling Shamima Sultana, who fell attempting an aggressive shot.
Despite a couple of boundaries from Shathi Rani, another debutant for Bangladesh, the runs became scarce as Vastrakar dismissed Rani and slowed down the scoring rate. The spinners, including Sharma, troubled the batsmen with sharp turns and bounces. Bangladesh lost three wickets and struggled to find boundaries, with only Shorna Akter’s late surge taking them past 100 runs.
Bangladesh had an early breakthrough in the pursuit of the modest target when Marufa Akter dismissed Shafali Varma. Jemimah Rodrigues showed some promise but fell to Sultana Khatun. Mandhana and Harmanpreet then took charge, capitalising on loose deliveries and adding 70 runs for the third wicket.
Mandhana’s fluent knock of 38 put India in a commanding position. Harmanpreet dropped on 24, and accelerated the chase with powerful hitting. She scored a half-century in just 34 balls, concluding the match with a boundary through midwicket.
Overall, India’s bowlers stifled Bangladesh’s batting lineup, and their experienced batters, particularly Harmanpreet and Mandhana, led the successful chase with a comprehensive victory.
