Sultana fifty in vain as Renuka bowls India to comfortable win
Despite a slowdown that saw them make only 145 for 7, India managed to hold off Bangladesh easily
Despite a slowdown that saw them make only 145 for 7, India managed to hold off Bangladesh easily
Scorer: Harshith Gowda | Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
And that's it for today. We appreciate your presence here. Remember to tune into the second T20I on April 30. Until then, take care and stay hydrated. Signing off on behalf of Harshith, the rest of the team and myself, Rashad.
Harmanpreet Kaur: "Our bowlers did a great job today, even though the scores were not enough on the board. They took their responsibility well and gave us the win. (Top order) played with intent but the last six overs did not go as we planned, the previous 14 overs we batted really well according to the plan. Last few days helped us to get the confidence for the condition here and we got to learn which shots we are going to play. I think if we can plan and execute ourselves then we can put up a decent total in the next game. (The bowlers) Discussed among themselves. We wanted to create some opportunity by fielding because the total was not big and they gave breakthrough in the first six overs which set the tone for us."
Player of the match Renuka Singh: "I understood the pitch is going to help so I kept everything simple, bowling wicket to wicket. During the powerplay the ball swings a bit so it is easier to get the wickets. And during the death I used the variations well. (Harmanpreet) Kept it simple and told us to stick to the plan, if the first plan does not work then move to the next plan."
Nigar Sultana: "Whenever you are chasing 140+ runs you have to get runs in the powerplay. Our top order batters aren't getting the runs. The way India started the innings it was looking like 150+ score but (our bowlers) bowled the last five overs brilliantly, I think we should take that as a positive for the next game. We need to be more confident in the next game. Our batting unit is good but they're not showing up 100%, hopefully they will give their best in the next game."
Presentation Ceremony
It was basically Nigar against the Indian bowlers. With a fantastic knock, the captain scored her seventh T20I fifty. There was little prospect for the other batters from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi women's batting issue remains, as they displayed in their previous series against Australia. Indian bowlers weren't allowing many runs to be scored by the batters by maintaining a tight line and length. Renuka claimed three wickets, Pooja two, and the remaining three bowlers one apiece.
India Women won the match by 44 runs.
At last, a fantastic run has come to an end.
Nigar Sultana b Vastrakar 51 (66m 48b 5x4 1x6) SR: 106.25
With a tough 2023 behind her, Renuka's spell in the series opener would give confidence to the India management too
Despite a slowdown that saw them make only 145 for 7, India managed to hold off Bangladesh easily