IND-W vs WI-W Highlights, Women’s T20 World Cup 2023: India beats West Indies by six wickets

FOUR! Richa Ghosh finishes the game with a cracking pull shot to the square-leg boundary. India wins by six wickets with 11 balls remaining and pulls off its second consecutive victory in the tournament.

Chinelle Henry comes back for her third after going for 21 in her first two. Harmanpreet misses a couple of cut shots outside off as the ball rears up unexpectedly. OUT! Harmanpreet goes as he lofts the ball over covers and the fielder comes running in from the deep and holds on to a good catch. Devika Vaidya comes in with India just needing four runs to win.

Gajnabi into the attack. Short and wide outside off and Richa cuts it aerially and over point to the boundary. FOUR! Another boundary for Richa as she stays on the backfoot and lofts one over mid-off. Richa gets an edge trying for another cut outside off. It was given not out but West Indies review. UltraEdge confirms there was an edge but the keeper collected it on the bounce.

FOUR! Henry pitches it short and Richa is quick on the pull and finds the square-leg boundary. Richa cuts one and almost hands a catch at backward point as the ball just falls short.

Matthews comes back with the ball. Richa gets an outside edge driving outside off but the keeper cannot hold on to it. Six runs from the over and India is chugging along in this chase.

Fletcher comes back for her second over. Tossed up on middle and Richa digs this to long-on for a single. FOUR! Full-toss and Harmanpreet gets on one knee and sweeps it to the fine-leg boundary.

Selman continues. Just five from it. Harmanpreet drive one crisply but finds the fielder in the deep at covers and gets only a couple. Harmanpreet and Richa keep India in the driver’s seat.

Connell comes back. FOUR! Richa pulls a short one on middle to the deep midwicket boundary. Next ball is short again and Richa pulls this to deep fine for just one. Third consecutive short ball and Harmanpreet pulls it behind square for a couple.

Shakera Selman into the attack. Harmanpreet whips one off her hips for a couple behind square. Selman also oversteps but Richa fails to connect the free-hit and it’s a dot ball. She then lofts one over covers for a couple and keeps the strike with a single off the last ball of the over.

Just four runs from the over as Ramharack bowls out with figures of two for 14 from her four overs. India needs 53 runs to win from 60 balls.

A bit of an interruption in play here as Stefanie Taylor is being stretchered off the field. Not sure of the nature of her injury yet. Afy Fletcher with the ball. Richa gets a couple of twos off the first two deliveries as she plays the cut. She then dabs gently to third man and collects three. FOUR! This is driven away by Harmanpreet through covers after clearing her front-leg. FOUR! She steps out next ball and slaps this over extra-cover for another boundary. She keeps strike with a single off the last ball.

OUT! Shafali goes. India in trouble. She goes for the sweep and finds the backward square-leg fielder to perfection. Richa Ghosh joins Harmanpreet Kaur. Richa is off the mark with a single as the sweeps along the ground to deep fine-leg.

Matthews continus to keep things tight. She keps it flat and forces Shafali on the backfoot. Matthews conceded just six runs in three overs.

Shafali gets a boundary between deep midwicket and long-on as Ramharack continues. Six runs from the over and India ends with 41 runs in the PowerPlay.

Matthews continues. OUT! Rodrigues hits it straight back to Matthews and departs for 1. Harmanpreet Kaur comes in next.

Ramharack into the attack with her off-break. OUT! Mandhana is stumped off the third ball as she steps out and looks to loft a delivery wide outside off over covers. Jemimah Rodrigues is in next.

Captain Hayley Matthews brings herself on to bowl. She keeps it tight as just three runs come from the over.

Mandhana is off the ark with a single as she pulls this short one from Henry. FOUR! Streaky boundary for Shafali as she gets an inside edge that rolls past the stumps and the keeper for a boundary. FOUR! Mandhana gets a top edge trying to hammer this on leg-side and the ball goes over short-third and to the boundary. FOUR! Driven through the covers by Mandhana for consecutive boundaries.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma are out to open India’s innings. Connell starts with a wide down leg-side. FOUR! Short outside off and Shafali gets on top of the bounce and cuts it through point and cover for a boundary. FOUR! Similar delivery and Shafali plays another cracking shot through cover-point. FOUR! Wide outside off again and she gets a top edge on the cut this time and this goes over the slip fielder and to the boundary. Very wide outside off and this is called a wide. She is beaten this time trying to cut as this is pitched slightly fuller and closer to off-stump.

OUT! Deepti Sharma becomes the first Indian cricketer to pick 100 T20I wicket as she clean bowls Afy Fletcher with a tossed up delivery. Just four runs from the over and India will be happy chasing 119.

OUT! Thakur cleans up Gajnabi with a slower one as the batter misses the ball trying to hack it across the line.

Vastrakar keeps it full. She is unlucky as a yorker off the last ball goes to the boundary off an inside edge from Gajnabi. Seven runs from the over.

Vaidya bowls her second over. FOUR! Full-toss and Nation sweeps it to fine-leg for a boundary. A couple more for her next ball as she punches through covers off the backfoot. FOUR! Gajnabi steps out and collects her first boundary at deep midwicket. Hundred up for West Indies in 16.5 overs.

Gayakwad bowls out. India has been sloppy on the field. Richa Ghosh fails to collect a throw which could have got Chedean Nation run out. Then Deepti drops an easy chance at long-off. Gayakwad ends with 0-30 from her four overs.

Devika Vaidya comes into the attack. Chinelle Henry is run out as the bat bounced off the ground as she dived to get inside the crease.

Deepti returns. OUT! Campbelle reverse-sweeps and Mandhana takes a good catch diving forward at short third. OUT! Second wicket for Deepti in the over. Taylor shuffled across the stumps and missed a flick. Deepti appealed but the umpire was unmoved. India reviewed and ball-tracking showed the ball was hitting top of middle after turning in from outside off.

Vastrakar comes back. FOUR! Campbelle hammers a fullish delivery over the bowler and for four runs.

FOUR! Gayakwad overpitches outside off and Taylor lofts it inside out over covers again for a boundary. Seven runs from the over.

Campbelle gets a single off the second ball and that brings up the fifty-run partnership between Taylor and Campbelle. FOUR! A lovely shot from Taylor, an inside out loft over covers that runs away to the boundary.

Gayakward returns for her second over. She beats Campbelle first ball by keeping it on a tight line just outside off-stump. FOUR! Another one that is too straight from an India spinner today. Taylor sweeps it behind square to bring up West Indies’ fifty in exactly 10 overs.

FOUR! Radha Yadav starts with a loosener, pitching it too short. Taylor rocks back and pulls it to the backward square-leg rope. Good running from West Indies as Taylor punches the ball through covers off the backfoot and takes one for the throw. A couple of singles to end the over and West Indies chugging along after that early wicket of Matthews.

Deepti continues. Campbelle steps out and pushes to long-off for a single off the first ball. Beaten! Taylor is beaten outside off drying to drive as the ball spins in. FOUR! Too straight and full and Taylor sweeps it to the fine-leg fence.

Shafali Verma replaces Gayakwad. Campbelle gets a couple off the first ball as Shafali bowls wide outside off-stump. A slight fumble behind point gifts West Indies a single. Just five runs from the over.

Spin from both ends as Deepti Sharma replaces Vastrakar at the other end. Harmanpreet Kaur standing at first slip. A couple of dots to start with. Deepti is keeping it tight. She spins one in sharply into Taylor from outside off and the batter gets a bottom edge behind the keeper and takes a single. Another single to end the PowerPlay.

Rajeshwari Gayakwad replaces Thakur. FOUR! Full and straight and Campbelle sweeps this behind to the fine-leg boundary. FOUR! Gayakwad bowls down leg again and Taylor this time sweeps it to the boundary at fine-leg. A misfield at point and the batters come back for a third. India has been sloppy on the field today.

Vastrakar continues. Shafali misfield at mid-on and allows Campbelle to scamper for a second. Another misfield, this at at deep backward point and Taylor steals a second.

FOUR! Campbelle gets the first boundary of the innings as Thakur darts in a short one, which is pulled away to the square-leg fence. A quick single to end the over.

Wicket! Pooja Vastraka strikes first ball. Good length outside off and Matthews goes for a cut but gets an outside edge to the ‘keeper. Shemaine Campbelle is the new batter in. A wicket maiden for Vastrakar!

Renuka Singh Thakur will start the proceedings with the ball. She starts off with a wide outside-leg as the ball tails in to Hayley Matthews from an off-stump line. Four runs from the first over, and just two coming off the bat. Matthews gets a couple of singles and Stafanie Taylor is yet to get off the mark.

Done with the anthems. Team India is in a huddle and the Women in Blue will be buoyed by the return of opener Smriti Mandhana. But for now, they will hope for an inspired bowling performance.

Time for the anthems. India’s is first up.

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Thakur Singh.

Smriti Mandhana and Devika Vaidya are back in the Playing XI, replacing Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol.

Hayley Matthews (c), Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Afy Fletcher, Shamilia Connell, Rashada Williams (wk), Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman.

Karishma Ramharack is in for Zaida James for West Indies.

West Indies win the toss and elects to bat.

You can vote for the India captain here.

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey.

West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Trishan Holder, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.

Having got the better of Pakistan in the lung-opener, India would endeavour to put up an improved bowling show against West Indies in its second Women’s T20 World Cup match on Wednesday.

The Indian batters, without vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, managed to complete their highest successful chase in the T20 World Cup in the win against Pakistan.

Mandhana missed the tie against Pakistan owing to a finger injury but the star opener is likely to be back in the team against the West Indies, who is coming off a big loss against England.

The Indian bowlers were guilty of taking their foot off the pedal in the back end of the innings, allowing Pakistan to score 91 runs in the second half of their innings.

They will be keen to give a better account of themselves. With tougher oppositions expected as the tournament progresses, the Indian bowlers couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than a familiar West Indies side, whom India beat twice in the recent tri-series.

If India want to win the title, the batting department too has to pull up its socks.

It if wasn’t for young Richa Ghosh’s three boundaries on the trot in the 18th over, India would have been unable to cross the line.

The big-hitting Shafali Verma, fresh from leading India to the inaugural U-19 World Cup title, didn’t look her imperious best against Pakistan. She struggled to get the big shots.

Opening the innings in the absence of Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia struggled for rhythm while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur too perished without making an impact.

India will breathe a sigh of relief that Jemimah Rodrigues, a proven match-winner, hit form after an underwhelming run as she anchored the innings but the middle-order batter will have to manage her strike rate better and go for the big shots.

The addition of Mandhana, a vital cog in this Indian team’s scheme of things, will not doubt bolster the batting.

West Indies, on the other hand, will be eager to register its first win in the tournament after being thrashed by England in its opener.

The Hayley Matthews-led side is enduring a wretched run, having lost 14 matches on the trot.

It will once again turn to skipper Matthews who has oodles of experience. The skipper is no stranger to delivering on the big stage.

However, the skipper needs the others to step up, especially the experienced Stefanie Taylor, who has returned from a back injury.

It will be a crucial fixture for West Indies as a loss would knock the former champions out of the semi-final contention.