Harmanpreet Kaur’s Unbeaten Fifty Powers India To Victory In T20I Opener Against Bangladesh
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 10th July 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team, showcased her batting prowess once again as she smashed her 11th half-century in T20I matches. Her outstanding performance led her team to a dominant 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women at the Sher-E-Bangla cricket stadium in Dhaka. In the first T20I encounter between the two teams, India proved to be too strong for their opponents.
India faced a shaky start in their chase of 115 runs, with swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma getting dismissed for a duck. However, Smriti Mandhana played a crucial innings, scoring 38 runs, before being joined by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Kaur, who received two lifelines due to dropped catches by the Bangladesh side, made the opposition pay dearly. The 34-year-old went on to score an unbeaten match-winning knock of 54 runs off just 35 balls.
Kaur’s innings were adorned with 6 boundaries and 2 sixes, the last of which she hit on the penultimate ball of the game before sealing the victory with a boundary, with 22 balls to spare.
For her outstanding performance, Harmanpreet Kaur was named the Player of the Match. She played a crucial role in India’s 7-wicket win over Bangladesh Women in the first T20I.
In the first match of the three-match T20I series, Harmanpreet won the toss and chose to field first. Bangladesh got off to a strong start but struggled to build partnerships, resulting in a collapse. Shanthi Rani Bormon scored 22 runs, Shamina Sultana added 17, and Sobhana Mostary played a useful inning of 23 runs. Shona Akter top-scored for her team with an unbeaten 28, helping Bangladesh reach a total of 114/5 in 20 overs. However, it was not enough to stop the dominant Indian side.
In response, Harmanpreet and her team comfortably chased down the target of 115 runs in just 16.2 overs. Bangladesh couldn’t match the strength of the Indian team. Sultana Khatun took two wickets for her side but lacked support from her fellow teammates. The hosts’ lacklustre fielding effort cost them a crucial game, and they will be eager to bounce back and level the series at 1-1 in the second T20I on July 11, which will be held at the same venue.
