With India facing the formidable South Africa in their final league stage encounter, the Bangladesh match was nothing less than a must-win encounter. Any slip-up at the Seddon Park would have virtually put India out of the semi-finals race. Add to that, India were batting first against their neighbours, something that they have not enjoyed in the recent past. Since 2021, 12 out of 15 losses for India have come batting first
All that made for a pressure-cooker situation that demanded the very best in the Indian side to step up and show the way. Instead, it was the youngsters and the newcomers who guided India to a big win over Bangladesh that keeps them alive in the race for the last four spots and also did a huge favour to their Net Run Rate.
India made a solid start to the match with the openers putting up 74 together inside the first 15 overs. Shafali Verma (42) did the bulk of the scoring and while she was slow to start, scoring just four off 13, the opener cut loose once Bangladesh introduced left-arm spinner Nahida Akter. With the angle in her favour, Shafali hit a six and four in Akter’s first over.
Yastika Bhatia 50 was worth its weight in gold as it led India to a winning total despite a batting collapse. AFP
A temporary break on the flow of runs was applied at the end of the 15th over when Smriti Mandhana got out as a result of a poorly executed pull shot. One brought two and two brought three. In a space of five deliveries, India lost Shafali, Mandhana (30) and skipper Mithali Raj (0).
In the next 68 balls, India added 34 more runs at a strike rate of 50. The pressure took its toll as Harmanpreet Kaur who was far from being fluid with the bat got out trying to take a risky single. At 108/4 in 27.2 overs and almost half of the innings still to go, India had their three biggest batting heavyweights — Mandhana, Mithali and Harmapreet — back in the hut.
With three fifty-plus scores and 270 runs in total, Harmanpreet has been India’s best batter for India in the tournament so far. The same can’t be said about Mandhana and Mithali. Mandhana made a glorious 123 in the victory over West Indies but other than that she has either failed to convert her starts or got out early. Mithali averages 12.5 after six matches in the ongoing World Cup. Two of India’s biggest batting stars haven’t come good so far in the grandest of the stages in women’s cricket.
Naturally, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of the newcomers and the inexperienced bunch. Thankfully, they have the courage to make up for what they lack in experience.
Only six months old in international cricket, 21-year-old Yastika Bhatia continues to impress with her maturity and dogged determination. India needed a partnership to steady the ship amid another batting collapse and Bhatia along with 18-year-old Richa Ghosh provided exactly that with a stand of 54 runs in 69 balls.
Bhatia relied on the sweep and cut shots to release the pressure and got the scoreboard ticking. While Ghosh got out on 26 trying to play her favourite cut shot, Bhatia notched up her second consecutive fifty — an innings during which the left-hander never looked hurried, absorbed the pressure and responded to the challenge by playing according to the situation. She fell to a soft dismissal, trying to scoop a slower ball but by then the foundation was laid.
The 22-year-old Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana, who had bailed India out against Pakistan with the world record 122-run partnership, provided the finishing touch by adding 48 runs in quick time to help take the team to 229/7 which was 110 more than what Bangladesh would eventually go on to manage.
After a rare off-day in this tournament against Australia, Indian bowling was back in its stride against a relatively weak batting unit of Bangladesh. The star of the second innings was Rana who took four wickets for 30 in her 10 overs. It was another clutch performance from the Dehradun born all-rounder who was out of the team for five years and only made a comeback in 2021. Young Vastrakar also took two wickets while the experienced trio of Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad accounted for four wickets together.
The 110-run NNR boosting win has put India in a position where they could make it to the semi-finals despite losing to South Africa on Sunday, given the other results go in their favour. And the youngsters and the newcomers deserve all the credit for this crucial win. In a pressure game, when senior batters failed to fire, the young brigade stood up to the challenge and helped India cross the line.
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