A Harmanpreet Kaur-led India side showed a spirited performance in the opening contest of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 to beat favourites Australia in their backyard by 17 runs. India have now collected two points, courtesy of the win, and sit atop in the Group A's points table.
Australia captain Meg Lanning won the toss and asked the Indians to bat first. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma got India off to a quick start but Australians soon made a comeback, removing the openers as well as skipper Harmanpreet. With three wickets down, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues put on a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket to help India recover from the worrying situation. Deepti went back unbeaten for 49, after having taken India to a decent 132/4 in the 20 overs.
Australians began the chase well despite losing Beth Mooney early on. Alyssa Healy showed her class with a dominating fifty. But with Lanning and her gone, things started looking awry for the hosts. The Australians began to feel the heat as soon as leg-spinner Poonam Yadav was introduced into the attack. Her loopy, slow in air deliveries were hard to play for the Aussies. Yadav eventually ended up with figures of 4/19 to ensure India opened their T20 World Cup campaign with a win.
Here are some of the best reactions that we found after India registered the win:
Great start by Team India
Great start in the tournament to beat defending champs Australia. At the innings changeover it appeared India might pay the price for profligate batting. But Poonam Yadav and Shikha Pandey stunned the Aussies with terrific bowling. #WomensT20WorldCup
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) February 21, 2020
This should be a huge concern for Lanning and Co
Australia have now lost three T20s in the last 15 days. They lost two in the previous 15 months. #T20WorldCup — Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) February 21, 2020
Wern't they fantastic?
India's spinners have made a big statement here and particularly happy to see Shikha Pandey play a key role. Well played too Jemimah Rodrigues. And Shafali Varma played some sumptuous shots. Love the spirit
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 21, 2020
More praise for the spinners..
Spin To Win. Even in Australia. Winning the game by 17 runs while defending a modest total....that too against the Hosts and Defending Champions—Australia. Take a bow, #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup #AusvInd — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 21, 2020
Give her the contract already!
If this doesn't get Poonam Yadav into the WBBL, I don't know what will.
— Snehal Pradhan (@SnehalPradhan) February 21, 2020
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
The 74-year-old former India captain had undergone a bypass surgery at the hospital last month after he complained of heart problems. He underwent the procedure on his brain just after the bypass surgery.
The coverage will capture the performance of new teams including Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, who are competing for the first time in the men's T20 World Cup qualification, and Finland playing host to an ICC event for the very first time.
Quizzed whether batting will be easier in the final Test as it will be a red ball game again, he answered in affirmative.