ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Group 2, Old Trafford
Bangladesh 136-8 (20 overs): Ferdous 33 (31); Yadav 3-28
India 139-5 (16.5 overs): Shafali 53 (34); Ritu 2-29
India secured a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh to enhance their prospects of reaching the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Chasing a modest target of 137 at Old Trafford, opener Shafali Verma scored 53 runs off 34 balls, guiding India to their target in 16.5 overs.
This outcome resulted in Bangladesh's elimination from the tournament, setting up a direct contest between India and South Africa for the second semi-final berth. India must defeat Australia in their final group match on 28 June to qualify.
However, to overcome the six-time champions Australia, India will need to significantly improve their fielding. The team displayed a lackluster performance, dropping four catches within the first five overs and committing several misfields throughout the innings.
Despite these errors, the quality gap between the teams was evident as Bangladesh failed to capitalize on the chances, finishing with 136-8.
Juairiya Ferdous was the top scorer for Bangladesh with 33 runs, while captain Nigar Sultana Joty contributed 32 runs. India's spin-focused bowling strategy was effective once again, with Radha Yadav taking 3 wickets for 28 runs and Sree Charani claiming 2 wickets for 21 runs.
India lost Smriti Mandhana early in their innings before Shafali took command. The chase slowed following her dismissal in the ninth over, but Jemimah Rodrigues’ quick 26 runs from 15 balls helped India secure the win.
South Africa will face the winless Netherlands in the second match of the day at 18:30 BST, presenting them with a critical opportunity to narrow the net run-rate gap with India.
India's Upcoming Match
India's final group stage match is scheduled against Australia on 28 June, a decisive game for their semi-final qualification hopes.
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