Indian women qualify for Commonwealth Games semi-final

By Kersi Meher-Homji

Thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’s fluent and unbeaten 56 and Renuka Singh’s deadly bowling Indian women routed Barbados women by 100 runs to qualify for the semi-final in Group A of the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham.

First round. Indian women had started this tournament on the wrong foot by losing to Australia by 3 wickets:

Indian women: 8 for 154 (opener Shafali Verma 48 runs, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur 52), Australian women: 7 for 157 (Ashleigh Gardener 52 not out, Renuka Singh 4 for 14).

Second round. India came back with a bang by beating Pakistan by 8 wickets:

Pakistan women: 99, Indian women: 2 for 102 (Smriti Mandhana 63 not out).

Third round against Barbados. This was a must win match for India in order to qualify for the semi-final. And they won comfortably by 100 runs.

Sent in to bat India totalled 4 for 162, Shafali Verma giving a good start by scoring 43. Then Jemimah Rodrigues 56 not out and Deepti Sharma 34 not out added 70 sparkling runs for the unbroken fifth wicket.

Renuka Singh bowled with fire to capture 4 for 10 and Barbados could total only 8 for 62 in 20 overs to lose by 100 runs. This facile victory enabled India to enter the semi-final.

It was India’s second biggest win in terms of runs in T20 Internationals.

India finished second in Group A after Australia. Barbados and Pakistan were eliminated.

In Group B England finished on top with New Zealand second. South Africa and Sri Lanka were eliminated.

India will meet England and Australia will meet New Zealand in the semi-finals tomorrow.

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