Picture Credit: Twitter
The Women in Blue under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana confirmed a medal for India at the Asian Games 2023. Starting the second day after the Games were announced open on Saturday, 23rd September, the Indian women’s cricket team registered a comfortable win over Bangladesh Women to seal a berth in the finals.
Also Follow: Asian Games 2023 Women's Cricket Live Scores
Earlier in the match, Bangladesh Women won the toss and opted to bat first. The Smriti Mandhana-led side bundled out the Nigar Sultana-led side for a score of 51 in 17.5 overs, courtesy Pooja Vastrakar’s four-wicket haul, with Titas Sadhu, Amanjot Kaur, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Devika Vaidya also contributing with a wicket each.
Chasing a mere target of 52 runs, India’s top order sealed the match and confirmed a medal for the side in what is there maiden appearance at the Asian Games. While Smriti Mandhana could add only seven runs during her short stay in the middle, Shafali Verma (17) and Jemimah Rodrigues (20*) once again scored the majority runs to seal the match in 8.2 overs, by eight wickets.
The Women in Blue will take on the winner of the second semifinal, which is scheduled to start at 11:30 am IST between Pakistan Women and Sri Lanka Women at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou. Whereas the Nigar Sultana-led side will play the loser of the second semifinal in the bronze medal match on Monday, 25th September at 6:30 am IST.
