High-flying Team India extended their unbeaten run with a massive win over Nepal in their final Group A fixture at the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2024 on Tuesday. Defending champions India rested skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for their third group game against Nepal at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka. Opener Shafali Verma laid the foundation for a gigantic total with her quick-fire half-century.
India openers Shafali and Dayalan Hemalatha demolished the bowling attack of Nepal with their 122-run stand in the high-scoring encounter. Shafali smashed her career-best score (81) in T20Is while Jemimah Rodrigues remained unbeaten on 28 off 15 balls as India posted 178-3 in 20 overs. Senior bowler Sita Rana Magar (2 for 25) shared three wickets with Kabita Joshi against the free-scoring Indian side.
Wickets kept falling for Indu Barma's Nepal as India restricted the crestfallen side to 96-9 in 20 overs. Producing another collective bowling performance, Renuka Thakur Singh (1), Arundhati Reddy (2), Radha Yadav (2) and Deepti Sharma (3) sealed India's comfortable 82-run win over Nepal. India have topped Group A by extending its winning run to three games. India and Pakistan have qualified for the semi-finals from group A.
Back-to-back wins
Team India thrashed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their previous fixture of the Asia Cup. India's Richa Ghosh smashed her first T20I half-century and shattered several records in the one-sided contest between the two teams. Contrasting half-centuries from Richa and skipper Harmanpreet powered India to its highest T20I total in women's cricket. Richa remained unbeaten on 64 off 29 balls as India posted 201-5 in 20 overs. Chasing the mammoth target, the United Arab Emirates mustered 123-7 to lose the match by 78 runs.
India primed to enter semi-finals
With an impressive net run rate of +3.298, Team India is leading Group A in the Women's Asia Cup T20 standings. Harmanpreet’s Team India outclassed arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener before hammering UAE to record back-to-back wins in Sri Lanka. Team India is followed by traditional rivals Pakistan, who are placed second with two points from two games. Team Nepal also has a win to their name, while UAE have lost all of the Asia Cup matches in the island nation. A win over Nepal in Dambulla sealed India's berth in the semi-finals.
