U-19 Women's T20 WC Final: The first ever U-19 Women's T20 World Cup is about to conclude but not before announcing the ultimate winner of the tournament. It's Shafali Verma's India vs Grace Scrivens' England, who will lock horns against each other in the showpiece event for the coveted trophy on January 29, Sunday. Both the teams have been the best in the tournament and have dominated sides like anything.
The final of the tournament will be set to be played at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. The Indian team and the English side were dominant throughout the tournament. While England won all the matches played so far in the tournament, India lost just one. In the last outing, England made defeated Australia by the thinnest of the margins, when they defended 99 runs and won by 3 runs in the Semifinal. For India, they registered a comprehensive win over New Zealand in the semis by 8 wickets.
Key strengths for India and England
For India, their batting and spin bowling have been great strengths. Opening batter Shweta Sehrawat is the leading run-scorer in the tournament and Shafali Verma is fourth on the list with 292 and 157 runs, respectively. Leg spinner Parshavi Chopra is India's leading wicket-taker and fourth overall in the tournament with 9 wickets in 5 matches. India's top order is their strength while having Richa Ghosh in the middle boosts India's chances. India have also registered victories by decent margins except for a loss against Australia in the Super six.
Meanwhile, England has also dominated the batting department. They have registered big totals and have won by big margins in the tournament. Their captain Grace Scrivens is the second-highest run-getter with 289 runs. England have managed to win a game by a big margin of 174 runs against Zimbabwe in Group B. Leg spinner Hannah Baker is the team's leading wicket-taker and third overall with 9 wickets in 5 games.
Shafali Verma celebrates Birthday
India's captain Shafali Verma is also celebrating her 19th Birthday on 28th January. Verma has the experience of playing the finals. "Haan bahut finals khela hai (Yes, I've played a lot of finals and seen it all)," Shafali said on the eve of the final. "It's about going out there and enjoying the game.
I've told the teammates 'don't stress, just give your 100 percent without thinking of it as the final. Just believe in yourself," she added.
"It's all past and that cannot be recreated. We are determined to bring the World Cup this time and are trying to improve day by day. We had nervous moments and couldn't sleep, thinking about whether we could make the final or not. But we have learnt from the mistakes and here we are. Now we're all very confident, clear of our roles. Everyone is enjoying each other's company and stay normal, we are not thinking much. I may be senior to many of them but I've told them 'on the ground we all are equal' it's about keeping everyone comfortable," the Indian captain said.
Earlier BCCI Secretary Jay Shah met the Indian team
