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On Sunday, July 21, India registered a massive win by 78 runs against UAE in their second Group A match in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. At the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, the fifties from the captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh propelled India beyond 200 for the first time in T20Is, following which the bowlers successfully defended the runs.
It was Esha Rohit Oza, the captain of UAE, who won the toss and chose to bowl first against a formidable Indian batting lineup on a good batting pitch in Dambulla. Despite the flurry of boundaries from Shafali Verma in the powerplay stage, scoring 37 off 18, India lost three wickets inside six overs, finding themselves in a tricky situation.
Jemimah Rodrigues also got dismissed for 14 off 13, but the power-packed start to the innings from the captain Harmanpreet Kaur put India in a good position. The arrival of Richa Ghosh at the crease was more than fruitful for the team after she went on to score an unbeaten 64 off just 29 with 12 fours and one maximum, playing a major role in India scoring 201/5.
Prior to her dismissal late in the innings, Harmanpreet Kaur scored 66 off 47 with seven fours and one maximum as well. Kavisha Egodage picked up a couple of wickets for UAE in her four-over spell.
In the defence of the 201-run total, the Indian bowlers started exceptionally well with the ball, taking three of the top order wickets of UAE in quick succession, to put them firmly behind the eight ball. The captain Esha Oza and Kavisha Egodage stitched together a 40-run stand to add some respectability to the team’s score.
After Esha Oza went back to the pavilion on Tanuja Kanwar’s bowling for 38 off 36, UAE lost a few more wickets in the closing stages of their innings. Kavisha Egodage stayed unbeaten on 40 off 32 as UAE finished up with 123/7 in their allotted overs.
