© BCCI
India Secures Dominant Win Over West Indies in T20I World Cup Warm-Up
India’s women’s cricket team began their T20I World Cup warm-up campaign with a commanding 20-run win against the West Indies at the ICC Academy Ground No. 2 in Dubai. The team, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, delivered a solid performance with contributions from key players Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar.
Opting to bat first, India struggled initially as openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana fell for scores of 7 and 14 respectively. Harmanpreet’s dismissal for just one run added to the early woes, but the innings stabilized when Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia combined forces for a crucial 50-run partnership.
Rodrigues Anchors the Innings
Rodrigues’ composed knock provided India the momentum needed after the shaky start. Despite a few run-outs that affected India’s middle-order progress, late hitting by Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma ensured that India reached a competitive total of 141 in their allotted 20 overs.
Vastrakar’s Early Strikes Set the Tone
Defending 141, India’s bowlers came out firing. Pooja Vastrakar made early inroads by dismissing Qiana Joseph in the second over, followed by a big breakthrough as Renuka Singh sent West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews back to the pavilion for a duck. Vastrakar continued her impressive form, taking the wicket of Chedean Nation to leave the West Indies struggling.
Although Chinelle Henry and Shemaine Campbelle put up a 56-run stand to revive West Indies’ innings, Asha Shobhana broke the partnership, and Deepti Sharma’s double-wicket over sealed the deal for India. The West Indies could not recover from the flurry of wickets, falling short by 20 runs.
The Indian team will look to carry this form into the main tournament, with their all-round performance serving as a positive sign ahead of the T20I World Cup.
