Harmanpreet Kaur. (Source – BCCI)
Harmanpreet Kaur went past Smriti Mandhana to become the leading run-getter in women’s T20I cricket for India. She achieved this feat during India’s Women’s Asia Cup T20 encounter against the UAE in Dambulla on Sunday, July 21.
The UAE won the toss and opted to bowl first and Smriti was the first batter to be dismissed on 13. Shafali Verma bludgeoned an 18-ball 37 before being dismissed. Harmanpreet walked out to the crease, needing just 30 runs to eclipse Smriti’s tally of 3,378. The Indian captain played some gorgeous strokes, en route to a blistering 66 off 47 balls, belting seven fours and a solitary six. The Punjab batter was eventually run out in the final over after stitching half-century partnerships along with Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh.
Harmanpreet took her tally in T20Is to 3,415 from 171 matches, averaging 28.22 at a strike rate of 107.35. She is 37 runs clear of her deputy at the moment.
Kaur, Ghosh lead India to first-ever 200+ total in WT20Is
Apart from Shafali and Harmanpreet, Richa enthralled the Indian fans with a superb batting display. The wicketkeeper-batter amassed 64 runs off just 29 balls, hitting 12 fours and one six. She remained not out as the Women in Blue scored a daunting 201/5 in their 20 overs.
This turned out to be the first time India put on a 200-plus total in WT20Is. Their previous highest team total in the shortest format of the game was 198/4 against England at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Interestingly, the 199-run target was chased down comprehensively by the Three Lions.
However, tracking down a 202-run target will be quite a task for the inexperienced UAE batting lineup. The seven-time Asia Cup champions, India, have an opportunity to win two games in a row after starting their campaign with a seven-wicket victory against arch-rivals Pakistan. The UAE, on the other hand, suffered a loss in their first game against Nepal.
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