Abrilliant half-century from Shafali Verma and impressive bowling performances from Radha Yadav and Shree Charani helped India secure a crucial five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash in Manchester on Thursday (June 25).
The win lifted India to second place in Group A with three victories and one defeat, taking their tally to six points. Australia remain at the top of the standings after winning all four of their matches. India still have one group-stage game remaining against Australia and are yet to officially confirm their semifinal berth, with South Africa also firmly in contention after winning two of their three matches.
After winning the toss, Bangladesh elected to bat and posted 136/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Juairiya Ferdous scored 33 off 31 deliveries, including five boundaries, while Sobhana Mostary contributed 22 from 26 balls with two fours. The pair added a valuable half-century partnership for the second wicket. Captain Nigar Sultana then chipped in with 32 runs from 27 balls, striking four boundaries to help Bangladesh reach a competitive total.
India’s bowling attack was led by Radha Yadav, who claimed 3/28, while Shree Charani picked up 2/21. Renuka Thakur and Nandani Sharma also contributed with a wicket each. Chasing 137, India suffered an early setback when Smriti Mandhana departed for eight. However, Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia steadied the innings with a 45-run stand for the second wicket. Shafali played an attacking knock of 53 from 34 balls, smashing eight fours and a six, while Yastika added 23 from 18 deliveries.
India briefly stumbled from 76/2 to 98/4, but Jemimah Rodrigues counterattacked with 26 off just 15 balls, including three fours and a six. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 13, while Deepti Sharma finished on 5 not out as India reached the target with 19 balls to spare. The match also saw Shree Charani create history. The Indian spinner surpassed Poonam Yadav to register the most wickets by an Indian bowler in a single ICC Women’s T20 World Cup edition.
Charani, who recently became the world’s number one T20I bowler, achieved the milestone after dismissing Nahida Akter and Shorna Akter during her spell. The left-arm spinner now has 12 wickets from four matches in the tournament at an outstanding average of 7.08 and an economy rate of 5.31, with best figures of 4/19. She currently leads the tournament’s wicket-taking charts. The previous Indian record belonged to Poonam Yadav, who took 10 wickets in five matches during the 2019/20 edition at an average of 11.90 and an economy rate of 5.95, with best figures of 4/19.
The overall record for most wickets in a single Women’s T20 World Cup remains with New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr, who claimed 15 wickets in six matches during the 2024/25 tournament at an average of 7.33 and an economy rate of 4.85, with best figures of 4/26. India will now turn their focus to a crucial clash against Australia as they aim to secure a place in the semifinals.