Harmanpreet Kaur has now become the top run-scorer in women’s T20I cricket for India, overtaking Smriti Mandhana. This milestone was achieved during India’s Women’s Asia Cup T20 match against the UAE in Dambulla on July 21. The UAE won the toss and chose to bowl first, Smrit Mandhana getting out on 13 runs.
Performance of Indian caption and others
- Shafali Verma played aggressively, scoring 37 runs off 18 balls before being dismissed. Harmanpreet Kaur came in needing only 30 runs to surpass Smriti’s record of 3,378 runs.
- The Indian captain played brilliantly, scoring a quickfire 66 off 47 ballsincluding seven fours and a six. She was eventually run out in the final over after building strong partnerships with Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh.
- Harmanpreet’s T20I total now stands at 3,415 runs from 171 matches, with an average of 28.22 and a strike rate of 107.35. She currently leads her deputy by 37 runs.
- Richa Ghosh also shone with the bat, scoring 64 runs off just 29 balls, including 12 fours and a six. She remained unbeaten as India posted a challenging total of 201/5 in 20 oversmarking India’s first 200-plus total in WT20Is. Previously, their highest total was 198/4 against England at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Chance to win
However, chasing the 202-run target will be a tough task for the inexperienced UAE batting lineup. India, seven-time Asia Cup champions, have the chance to win two consecutive games after defeating Pakistan by seven wickets in their opening match. In contrast, the UAE suffered a loss in their first game against Nepal.
