ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Jemimah Rodrigues, bowlers shine in India’s win over West Indies in warm-up game
Hyderabad: The Indian women’s cricket team warmed up for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in style after they beat West Indies by 20 runs in a warm-up game on Sunday evening.
Jemimah Rodrigues was the anchor in India’s innings with her 42-ball 52 helping India score 141/8 in 20 overs, after being reduced to 20/3 in the powerplay. In reply, West Indies could only manage 121/8 in their 20 overs with Pooja Vastrakar shining with the ball by returning with figures of 3/20.
Jemimah got good support from Yastika Bhatia who scored 24 off 25 balls, with one four and one six. Jemimah scored five boundaries in her half-century knock.
Opener Smriti Mandhana (14) and Deepti Sharma (13) were other notable useful contributions, given the context of the game and the margin of victory.
After being reduced to 20/3, both Jemimah and Bhatia anchored the innings and helped India get to a score of repute. West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews was their standout bowler as she took a four-wicket haul (4/17). Chinelle Henry (1/11) and Ashmini Munisar (1/33) picked up a wicket each for West Indies.
In reply, the West Indies batters couldn’t get going against a good Indian bowling attack. Chinelle Henry top-scored with an unbeaten 59 off 48 balls but she couldn’t help see her team through.
Henry got good support from Shemaine Campbelle (20) and Afy Fletcher (21) but in the end West Indies were 20 runs short.
Apart from Vastrakar’s three wickets and Deepti Sharma (2/11), Renuka Singh Thakur (1/15), Asha Sobhana (1/7) and Radha Yadav (1/24) took wickets at crucial intervals to restrict the West Indies.
In another warm-up match, defending champions Australia beat England by 33 runs. Opener Beth Mooney scored a 30-ball 50, while Tahlia McGrath (31) and Ash Gardner (21) made useful contributions as Australia scored 162/6.
In reply, England could only manage 129 in 19.4 overs, falling to McGrath (3/18) and Sophie Molineux (2/27).