 "ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup: Undefeated India set final date with SA")
India’s women’s U19 cricket team have kept their title defence at the 2024 ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup well and alive with an exhilarating nine-wicket win over England in the semifinals on Friday and are now ready to face South Africa in the final on Sunday, February 2, at Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur. Indian spinner Parunika Sisodia and batter G Kamalini helped India book their place in the second consecutive ICC Women’s U19 World Cup final.
Match summary
Indian left-arm spinners Parunika Sisodia (3/21) and Vaishnavi Sharma (3/23) played a crucial role in restricting England to 113/8 in their 20 overs.
England had started well, reaching 37/0 in the fifth over, but their insistence on playing sweep shots backfired, leading to six batters being bowled. Abigale Norgrove (30 off 25) and Davina Perrin (45 off 40) offered some resistance, stitching together a 44-run stand for the third wicket. However, England crumbled in the second half of their innings, managing just 40 runs in the last 10 overs and losing six wickets, including three in a single over.
India made light work of the chase, with openers G Trisha (35 off 29 balls) and G Kamalini (56 not out off 50 balls) setting the tone early. Trisha dominated the power play, guiding India to 44/0 with confident strokes down the ground.
Kamalini had a stroke of luck when Norgrove dropped her catch, but she made the most of the opportunity with precise placement and intelligent shot selection. Even after Trisha was dismissed by Phoebe Brett, Kamalini remained composed and, alongside Sanika Chalke (11 not out), steered India to victory in just 15 overs.
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Sisodia reflects on her match-winning spell
Reflecting on her performance, player of the match Parunika Sisodia mentioned that she focused on maintaining a consistent line and length, letting the ball do the work. She explained that she preferred practising with batters rather than single-wicket drills, as it allowed her to experiment with new variations. (With PTI Inputs)