India’s dreams of a deep run in the current tournament just took a really surprising blow. Rain disrupted their match against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai. With the match being reduced to 43 overs a side during the game, India opted to bowl first in the matchup. They had great success early in the campaigns against their foes. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, the weather would doom any prospect of a decisive outcome.
On the Indian side, pace bowler Renuka Singh Thakur was an immediate force. She made an immediate impact in the opening over, taking the wicket of Bangladesh opener Sumaiya Akter. As the innings wore on, Bangladesh were unable to find their rhythm, losing wickets at regular intervals. Mostary went on to amass 26 runs off just 21 balls before getting out at a risky 91-4 in the 22nd over. India conclusively eliminated any chance of a Bangladesh comeback by taking at least one wicket in every over. This made it hard for Bangladesh to up their run rate.
The match turned a twist when rain moved in and officials were forced to abandon play. India had to chase a revised target of 126 runs in 15 overs. This recalibration was achieved with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method once play was reduced to 27 overs per side. At the time of the washout, India were in a good position at 57-0 without the loss of a wicket. Smriti Mandhana, the tournament’s leading run scorer at this point, was still on the crease and unbeaten with 34 runs.
India was the more deeply hurt party by the rain-out. Yet it served as a wake-up call for both India and Australia that mood-swinging weather can be as important as team momentum heading into their last-four clash next week. Among the batters, Pratika Rawal has been the star of the tournament, scoring a tangible total of 309 runs. Sadly, and rather dramatically, she incurred an ankle injury mid-match. She rolled her ankle attempting to field a boundary on the dewy outfield grass. Medical personnel sprinted onto the field, carrying her off.
Rawal’s absence will be keenly felt in the next match. She had established strong connections with Mandhana that are so important to any successful T20 team. The duo added 155 runs against Australia in the group stage and amassed a remarkable 212 runs together against New Zealand, with both players hitting centuries.
Sobhana Mostary lit up Mirpur, scoring an unbeaten 66 to defeat Australia just a week ago. Her stellar performance provides a ray of sunshine for her squad, despite their loss to India.
India’s next match is against defending champions Australia at the same venue on Thursday. Under captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the team is resolute on carrying forward their positive momentum. They’ll power through the interruptions they made against Boston in this game.
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