Birmingham, Aug 6: All-rounder Sneh Rana showed nerves of steel by choking runs in death overs as Indian women’s cricket team pipped hosts England by four runs to enter the final of the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
Needing 165 to win, England were cruising along at 132 for 3. The hosts required only 33 runs off 24 balls but off-spinner Rana (4-0-28-2) bowled extremely well. She gave away only 3 runs in the 18th and 9 in the final over.
England finished at 160 for 6 and even a last-ball maximum from Sophie Ecclestone couldn’t save the day for the hosts with Harmanpreet Kaur’s brigade earning sweet revenge for the 2017 ODI World Cup final defeat at Lord’s.
If Smriti Mandhana’s 32-ball-61 was a treat for the eyes, Rana, Deepti Sharma (4-0-18-1) and Pooja Vastrakar (3-0-20-0) didn’t err in line or length.
The match seemed to have decisively tilted in favour of England when Harmanpreet introduced Shafali Verma, whose friendly “donkey drops” in the 16th over fetching the home team 15 runs.
Pooja leaked 13 runs in the 19th over but the Mandhana-Taniya Bhatia combination pulled off a brilliant run out of Nat Sciver to change the course.
It was then left to Rana to bowl at least five good balls that assured a medal for India in the inaugural edition of women’s cricket.
Earlier Mandhana’s elegant yet brutal knock of 61 along with Jemimah Rodrigues’ useful 44 not out powered India to a healthy 164 for 5 in 20 overs.
En route her knock, Mandhana also recorded the fastest T20 International fifty in women’s cricket off only 23 balls. (PTI)
