India Women thrashed West Indies in their second match of the T20 World Cup campaign on Wednesday. In the match played at the Newlands stadium, Cape Town, the women in blue registered a win by 6 wickets. While Deepti Sharma who scalped three wickets and became the first Indian to take 100 wickets, impressed with her bowling. Richa Ghosh, on the other hand, took the onus on herself and powered India to victory.
Having won the toss, West Indies invited India to bowl first. India bowlers restricted their opposition to 118/6 which they successfully chased in just 18.1 overs.
Deepti (3/15) picked three wickets to become the first Indian to get to 100 T20I wickets. The duo of Ghosh (44 not out) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (33) then put up a vital 72-run stand to take India to their second victory of the tournament with 11 balls to spare.
Openers Shafali Verma (28) and Smriti Mandhana (10) set the momentum to add 31 runs in four overs on the back of six fours. However, they soon lost wickets. Mandhana missed off-spinner Karishma Ramharack's (2/14) ball completely, resulting in an easy stumping for wicketkeeper Rasha Williams. Jemimah Rodrigues (1) became Hayley Matthews (1/12) first and only victim of the day.
After two low-scoring overs, Shafali tried to hit a shot but was caught at long leg and West Indies picked three wickets in quick succession. Harmanpreet took her time to settle down before hitting back-to-back fours off Afy Fletcher (0/24) in the ninth over.
The India skipper's knock came off 42 balls with the help of three boundaries. Ghosh, on the other hand, hit five fours, including one to finish off the match in her unbeaten 32-ball innings.
She took India to 119 for 4 in 18.1 overs.
Earlier, Pooja Vastrakar (1/21) gave India the early breakthrough after dismissing West Indies skipper Hayley Matthew (2), on her very first ball. She continued to put pressure on the opponents with her wicket maiden.
West Indies were 53/1 after 10 overs with Campbelle and Stefanie Taylor (42) stabilising their innings as they slowly but steadily stitched a 73-run partnership including 9 boundaries. However, Deepti broke their lethal partnership as she punished Campbelle for going for a reverse sweep with Smriti Mandhana taking an unbelievable catch.
Three balls later, she dismissed Taylor leg before which was given not out by the umpire but India successfully reviewed the decision and then the star West Indies player had to make her way back to pavillion.
Chinelle Henry (2) was the next to go as Mandhana and Ghosh effected her run out. Chedean Nation and Shabika Gajnabi (15) took West Indies past the 100-run mark. Deepti reached the 100-wicket feat in the last over when she dismissed Aly Fletcher (0).
