Indian captain Mithali Raj was delighted after her team convincingly defeated Bangladesh Women in the 22nd match of the ongoing ICC Women World Cup by a gargantuan margin of 110 runs at the Seddon Park, Hamilton on Tuesday.
India lost three quick wickets after getting off to a decent start as Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Mithali Raj were dismissed in the 15th and 16th over.
However, India was able to post a fighting score of 229 runs in their 50 overs after Mithali Raj won the toss and decided to bat first. Yastika Bhatia scored a fine knock of 50 runs whereas the lower-middle order also contributed at the fag end of the innings.
Richa Ghosh scored 26 runs whereas Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana contributed with 30 and 27 runs respectively to help their team get past the 200-run mark.
On the other hand, the bowlers did a fine job for the Women in Blue as they skittled out Bangladesh at 119 runs to register a much-needed win. Sneh Rana also starred with the ball as she scalped four wickets and conceded only 30 runs in her 10 overs quota.
Meanwhile, Mithali Raj was dismissed for a golden duck and her poor form is a cause of concern for the team. Raj is India’s main batter but she hasn’t been able to get going in the ODI showpiece.
Mithali Raj said in the post-match presentation, “Sometimes it happens (on her own form). I think the last time I hadn’t scored runs for a while was back in 2012. It was important to get partnerships as it wasn’t a surface where a new batter could get going instantly. We did well to get to 230 after losing those early wickets. Having all-rounders definitely gives the cushion of batting deep and it’s good in a tournament like this. You want bowling options and also someone down the order to contribute with the bat.”
She added, “Selectors have also been on the same page in bringing more all-rounders. For a long time, we’ve always banked on our spinners and we have quality spinners. Today’s surface did help them a lot too. Wouldn’t say we are spin-dominant, it also depends on the opposition we’re playing. We haven’t played a game in Christchurch yet, so that’s a challenge. It’s an important game for India and we would want to do well in all departments.”
India now has a good net run rate of +0.768 and they will be able to qualify for the semifinal if they win their last league stage match against South Africa. If South Africa beats West Indies in their next match then also India will be able to cement their berth in the last four irrespective of their result against the Proteas.
India will next face South Africa at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Sunday.
