India Women strengthened their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign with a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women in Manchester, chasing down 137 with 19 balls to spare.
After being sent in to bat, Bangladesh posted 136 for 8 from their 20 overs thanks to valuable contributions from Juairiya Ferdous and captain Nigar Sultana. Juairiya scored 33 off 31 balls, while Nigar added 32 from 27 deliveries.
Mostary chipped in with 22, and Shorna Akter provided late impetus with a quick 13.
However, Bangladesh struggled to accelerate consistently as India’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav was the standout performer with 3 for 28, while Shree Charani claimed two wickets.
In reply, India got off to a brisk start despite losing Smriti Mandhana early. Shafali Verma then took control of the chase with a sparkling 53 off 34 balls, smashing eight fours and a six. Her aggressive innings put Bangladesh's bowlers under pressure and laid the platform for victory.
Yastika Bhatia contributed 23, while Jemimah Rodrigues added a quickfire 26 off just 15 balls to keep India firmly on course. Although Bangladesh managed to pick up wickets through Ritu Moni (2-29), Rabeya Khan (1-19), Nahida Akter (1-24) and Marufa Akter (1-28), they were unable to halt India's progress.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 13, while Deepti Sharma finished the chase in style with a boundary as India reached 139 for 5 in 16.5 overs.
The defeat leaves Bangladesh with work to do in the race for the semifinals, while India moved a step closer to securing a place in the knockout stage.
