The Indian women's cricket team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka with a six-wicket win in the second match here on Wednesday. Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka could manage only 178 for nine in the allotted 50 overs at the JSCA International Stadium Complex. 18-year-old Deepti Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up four for 23 with her medium pace bowling, to set up the home side's win. Skipper Mithali Raj then remained unbeaten on 53 to guide her team home with as many as 41 balls to spare. India were 179 for four in 43.1 overs when the winning run was scored. Raj, who struck four boundaries in her 80-ball knock, was supported by opener Smriti Mandhana (46), who narrowly missed out on her fourth successive fifty-plus score, and Harmanpreet Kaur (41). Mandhana hit four boundaries and a six in her run-a-ball innings, while Kaur found the fence six times while facing 61 balls.
Harmanpreet Kaur did not get enough batting time in the run up to her blistering knock in the ICC Women's World Cup semifinal and the Indian power-hitter said she wanted to prove her worth when the opportunity arrived.
India have four wins in five games but, unfortunately for a team high on potential, it haven't looked like they have identified the brand of cricket that consistently works for it.
All that's transpired on and off the cricket pitch on Wednesday.
Having won the three-match ODI series 2-1, India are currently leading the five-match T20 series 2-0.
The Women's Twenty20 World Cup gets underway when hosts and defending champions Australia meet India in Sydney on Friday and hopes are high that the seventh edition of the tournament will prove transformational for the game.
India took a giant stride towards clinching a semi-final spot with another convincing 16-run victory over Sri Lanka in a one-sided ICC Women's ODI World Cup encounter in Derby.
The Supernovas, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, have been invincible so far winning all the previous two editions.
BCCI official says while the board has tightened the system further, issues raised by players are swiftly answered by the finance department.
The T20 Challenge, to be played during the IPL play-offs, will begin with last year's finalist Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game.
The ever-improving Indian women cricketers could get a chance to become household names, just like tennis star Sania Mirza and shuttle queen Saina Nehwal, by televising their matches, feels national team captain Mithali Raj.
The much-hyped women's exhibition IPL T20 match between Supernovas vs Trailblazers witnessed an exciting finish but failed to attract sizeable crowd at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium on a sultry Tuesday afternoon despite the presence of the world's top women cricketers.
The 15-year-old Shafali, who was dismissed for a four-ball duck on her debut in the opening match, laid the foundation for a good total with a 33-ball innings, while Jemimah Rodrigues (33) provided the stablity, scoring a 22-ball 33.
Spinner Deepti Sharma bowled three maiden overs in her four-over quota, apart from taking three wickets, as the Indian women team edged past South Africa by 11 runs in the first T20 International.
Veteran Mithali Raj's retirement from the T20 format paved the way for the induction of youngsters such as 15-year-old rookie Shafali Verma in the Indian women's team for the upcoming home T20 Internationals against South Africa.
The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators announced a new category 'A+' with an annual retainership of Rs. 7 crore. The top category includes the likes of captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
India will face their biggest challenge so far in the ICC Women's World T20 when they lock horns with a gifted Australian team in an inconsequential game, in Guyana, on Saturday.
Not considered among the top T20 teams in the world, India produced a power-packed performance, winning the opener against a formidable New Zealand side by 34 runs after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's 51-ball 103.
Teenager Jemimah Rodrigues struck an unbeaten 77 to help Supernovas beat Velocity by 12 runs and enter the final of the Women's T20 Challenge.
Mandhana blasted 9 fours and 3 sixes in her 55-ball innings and shared a 68-run third wicket partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (43 runs off 27) to power India to a competitive 167 for 8 at the Providence Stadium.
Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav's magical spell helped India beat Australia by 17 runs in the tournament opener on Friday but the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side can't afford to take Bangladesh lightly as their eastern neighbours had beaten them twice in the 2018 T20 Asia Cup.
India's star-studded top four failed to fire against the West Indies, but Shikha Pandey's late show hauled them up to 107 and they defended it superbly, Poonam Yadav starring with the ball to earn a two-run win.
Pacer Anya Shrubsole starred for England with figures of 6 for 46 off 9.4 overs.
Dominant in the series-opener, the Indian women's cricket team would now look to seal the issue when it takes on South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series
Team India needs to ensure that the frequent middle-order collapses are not repeated in the showpiece event.
India women cricket team's skipper Mithali Raj has called on her side to improve their fielding, especially catching, ahead of their much-anticipated clash against arch-rival Pakistan in the ICC Women's World Cup at County Ground, Derby, on Sunday.
England will meet Australia in the final after the Southern Stars demolished hosts and last edition's winners West Indies by 71 runs.
India will be looking to erase the memories of a heart-breaking World Cup final defeat last year when they take on England in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World T20 on Friday morning (IST).
Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney struck the highest scores in ICC Women's T20 World Cup final history as record-breaking Australia secured a famous fifth title on home soil, in Melbourne, on Sunday. A record-breaking attendance for a women's cricket match of 86,174 watched on as Australia downed first-time finalists India by 85 runs at the MCG, with the openers setting the tone for a clinical performance.
Indian women's cricket team would look to extend its domination in the shortest format and achieve a rare double series win
The Indian women's cricket team would be aiming for quick recovery from a rare setback when it takes on South Africa in the fourth Twenty20 International, where a win would give the visitors an unbeatable series lead, in Centurion, on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Molineux, who plays for Melbourne Renegades in the Women's Big Bash League, has requested for a break and will not be travelling with the Renegades squad to Ballarat for their match against Melbourne Stars on Saturday.
'Whatever we decided, we decided for the team. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, no regrets. I'm proud of the way my girls played through the tournament'
In the lead-up to the World T20, India have hit good form, beating hosts Sri Lanka before blanking Australia A at home. What should give them additional confidence going into the opener is the wins against reigning champions West Indies and England in the warm-up matches.
'We need to work on our partnerships as batters'
Daniellie Wyatt helped England pull off a record chase and crush India by seven wickets in their second T20 triangular series match, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Meg Lanning's Australia, long the benchmark in women's cricket, will bid for a record-extending fifth T20 World Cup title after a rocky ride to their sixth final. Harmanpreet Kaur-captained India arrive at the MCG undefeated and without having bowled a ball in the rained-out semi-final against England.
Images from the women's T20 World Cup match between India and New Zealand in Melbourne, on Thursday.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur struck a sensational half century as Supernovas clinched the Women's T20 Challenge with a four-wicket victory over Velocity in a dramatic final, in Jaipur, on Saturday.
The tournament turned out to be the most embarrassing for the 'Women in Blue' as they lost to the minnows twice inside a week.
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