For the first time in their history, the Bangladesh cricket team have been able to beat India in a T20I encounter. The Bangladesh team, led by Salma Khatun, met Harmanpreet Kaur’s India in the third round of Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup.

Bangladesh were fresh off from their victory against Pakistan but had the sturdiest task of facing India up next. The Women in Blue were on an unbeaten streak in the Asia Cup since 2004 and the Tigresses had an uphill battle to conquer.

And so they did – oh my, they did!

Winning the toss and batting first, India put up a modest score of 141 in their 20 overs. Some sensational bowling from Rumana Ahmed put the brakes on for India as they stuttered to 141, thanks to Harmanpreet Kaur’s 42 from 37 balls.

Rumana Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh as she took three wickets in four overs and gave away only 21 runs.

But she was far from finished in the game.

As Bangladesh came into bat, the ladies exuded an aura of belief and self-confidence that perhaps took birth after defeating Pakistan in the previous game. Pooja Vastrakar got a sensation of that aura as she was taken to the cleaners by Shamima Sultana.

The wicketkeeper-batswoman slapped four boundaries off Vastrakar’s second over but also lost her wicket in the final ball of that over as she perhaps got carried away in the end. Nevertheless, Sultana’s 23-ball 33 gave the team the start that it required to see off the rest of the chase.

There was a bit of a hiccup when Ayesha Rahman and Nigar Sultana fell in quick succession but Fargana Hoque and Rumana Ahmed – that beauty of a player – stood their ground and ensured that the Tigresses roared back to the dressing room with their prey.

While Fargana Hoque’s 52 off 46 balls was incisive batting to cut the veins of the Women in Blue, Rumana Ahmed’s 34-ball 42 was more like a tigress grabbing the throat of her prey with her fangs.

She completely dismantled the Indian batswoman and bowlers and in the end, won the man of the match award for her brilliance.

With this, Bangladesh stand a real chance to reach the final as their next two games are against Thailand and Malaysia, respectively. Winning both these games almost ensures their place in the final.

Scores:

India – 141/7 after 20 overs