Picture Credit: Twitter
The Indian Women's cricket team kicked off their 2022 Commonwealth Games in style as Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma scored 25 in the first three overs. Mandhana was looking sharp with her five incredible boundaries. But soon she perished and in came wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia who was also in rhythm.
She hit an early four and was batting at the score eight when disaster struck. Bhatia firmly directed the ball towards mid-wicket where Grace Harris was stationed. The Aussie all-rounder made a superb save before dispatching the ball at the keeper's end. Bhatia was near the middle of the pitch where she stuttered and slipped before turning and lost her wicket in the process.
Watch the blunder here:
After this bizarre incident, the Indians showcased an incredible batting display as they posted a competitive score of 154. The top protagonists were captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a brilliant 54 along with openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana who put 48 and 24 respectively.
In the second innings, the Women in Blue continued their incredible run of form as Renuka Singh Thakur lit up Edgbaston with a magical four-wicket spell where she took the entire Aussie top order. She ran through stars like Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning and Tahlia McGrath while conceding just 18 runs.
But here the reigning World Cup winners showed off their deep batting lineup as the trio of Ashleigh Garner, Grace Harris and Alana King took the Aussies over the finish line. Harris and King scored 37 and 18 respectively, while Garner was the star of the show as she smashed an incredible 52 in 35 balls with nine boundaries.
