Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women’s cricket skipper was ecstatic after her side’s crunch triumph over England in the semi-finals of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In a hard-fought game that went down to the final over, India held their nerve against hosts England and managed to defend 14 runs in the last over to book a berth in the gold medal clash.
The Indian women’s team put to rest demons of the past in close matches – including the heart-breaking loss that knocked them out of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in the group stage earlier this year – to punch their ticket to the final, where they will take on reigning T20 World Champions Australia on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur Felt The Team’s Women Cricketers Stepped Up When It Mattered Most
Harmanpreet Kaur was thrilled with the victory and relieved that her players stepped up when it mattered most.
“Until the last moment, we believed we could win, even though they had a couple of strong partnerships,” Harmanpreet Kaur said.
“Even when they were going well, no one gave up. We’ve been working on this for a while. If you keep doing this, results will come at some point along the way, and I’m glad it is showing now. It was an important match. It feels good that that everyone stepped up to their responsibilities with the bat, ball and on the field.
“It’s important that all of them remain together in such matches. In the last over, if you see, our fast fielders took the responsibility of fielding in the deep. That shows how keen you are to do well for the team,” Harmanpreet Kaur said.
Despite it being a proper team effort, Smriti Mandhana was the star of the show and more importantly, the difference between the two sides. The southpaw went berserk during the Powerplay, smashing the fastest T20I fifty (in 23 balls) by an Indian women’s player by bettering her own record of 24 balls.
Chasing a target of 165, England was restricted to a total of 160 for six in 20 overs. Earlier, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues played knocks of 61 and 44 respectively as India scored 164/5 in 20 overs.
India paved their way into the semis after defeating Barbados by 100 runs in their last group stage fixture on Wednesday. After losing their opening game against Australia by three wickets, India went on to defeat Pakistan by eight wickets.
Harmanpreet Kaur Praised Smriti Mandhana And Jemimah Rodrigues For Outstanding Batting Prowess
In the post-match press conference, Harmanpreet Kaur said India went out with a decisive plan to try and go big in the Powerplay,
“We were ready to lose one wicket, but we needed to utilise the first six overs on a fresh wicket,” she said.
“The way Smriti batted was outstanding to watch. We were looking for more than 150. In games like these, you need to have (a big) total on the board,” Harmanpreet Kaur said.
“Smriti is someone who is keen to do well for the team always. That innings charged us up, and when the opponent’s body language is down, we could utilise those moments.
“Also, the way Jemi (Jemimah Rodrigues, who scored an unbeaten 44 off 31 balls) batted was outstanding. We needed someone who could finish and it was great that she was there till the last ball,” Harmanpreet Kaur said.
India doesn’t have any time to bask in the glory of the win as they face Australia in the final a little over 24 hours later after their victory over England. They are on the brink of history and though a silver medal a guaranteed, India will be keen to take home the gold medal in the first-ever women’s cricket event in the Commonwealth Games.
India suffered an injury blow in the form of star batter Jemimah Rodrigues and her availability for the final is in doubt. In a nail-biting clash, the Women in Blue held their nerve to seal a four-run win. India will face Australian women in the gold medal match on Sunday (August 7) at Edgbaston after Australian women defeated New Zealand women by 5 wickets in the 2nd semi-final.
India Women 164 for 5 (Mandhana 61, Rodrigues 44*, Kemp 2-22) beat England Women 160 for 6 (Sciver 41, Wyatt 35, Jones 31, Rana 2-28) by four runs