India-W secure clinical win against Bangladesh-W in Manchester
The Indian women’s team secured a clinical win against Bangladesh despite a few hiccups in the center to remain rooted to the second position of the points table ahead of their Australia challenge in the T20 Women’s World Cup 2026.
A phenomenal show from the bowlers in Manchester saw India make easy work of the struggling Bangladeshi batting unit. A fabulous start by Shafali Verma did the majority of the heavy lifting for the Women in Blue.
Winning the toss, Bangladesh opted to bat first. An incoming Renuka Singh provided the first breakthrough for India in the second over. She got rid of Dilara Akter (4) to set the tone. However, Bangladesh fought back through the likes of Juairiya Ferdous (33) and Sobhana Mostary (22) as the duo added 51 runs for the second wicket.
It was Nandani Sharma who broke the partnership with the crucial wicket of Ferdous and Radha Yadav struck in quick succession to remove Mostary. Despite the strikes from India, the Bangladeshi batting life tried desperately to stay afloat on the shoulders of their captain, Nigar Sultana (32). Once Radha Yadav got the better of Sultana, that forced open the floodgates and what followed was sheer mayhem for Bangladesh.
From 106/3, Bangladesh went to 134/8, eventually concluding their innings at 136/8 from 20 overs. Radha Yadav was the pick of the lot for the Indian bowlers with figures of 3/28 while Sree Charani claimed a brace to support her aptly. India needed 137 to win and had a great chance to better their NRR ahead of the crucial challenge against Australia.
Shafali Verma took over the reins right from the word ‘go’ and looked in commanding control for the Women in Blue. Smriti Mandhana (8) fell to Marufa Akter but India didn’t her early departure get to them. An incoming Yastika Bhatia (23) did well to steady the ship and Verma unleashed her charge.
Verma’s blistering knock of 53 from just 34 balls killed the sting from Bangladesh and almost made India fly. By the time, Nahida Akter got the better of Verma, India were cruising at 76/2. India lost a couple of quick wickets in the form of Bhatia and Richa Ghosh (10). However, that did very little to deter the Indian spirits as Jemimah Rodrigues (26) and Harmanpreet Kaur (13) sealed the deal without a much of a fuss.
Despite Jemi falling inches short of the finish line, her breezy charge helped India to clinch the win with three overs to spare. With this win, India made it three wins from four games and their NRR read +2.268, stationing them in the second position ahead of their clash against Australia. Shafali Verma was the Player of the Match for her scintillating performance with the bat.
