India vs Barbados Women CWG 2022: India Beat Barbados By 100 Runs, Qualify For Semi-Finals

India vs Barbados Women | India Women 162 for 4 (Rodrigues 56*, Shafali 43, Deepti 34*) beat Barbados Women 62 for 8 (Kyshona 16, Renuka 4-10) by 100 runs

India cruised into the semi-finals of the CWG 2022 with a convincing win over Barbados on Wednesday evening. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur both failed to score, but the rest of the team more than made up for it, posting a total of 162. The young Indian bowling attack then quickly dispatched the Barbados side, reducing the contest to a one-sided affair.

In her third T20I, medium-pacer Shanika Bruce struck in her first over when she removed Mandhana with the new ball. India was left 5 for 1, but Shafali Verma quickly counter-punched to hoist India’s fifty inside the powerplay with no further loss, even as Barbados contributed generously to it with some ordinary fielding.

With Yastika Bhatia out, Jemimah Rodrigues had a chance to make an impact at No. 3 and she made it happen. She started with a boundary in the third over, then kept the scoreboard ticking over with nurdles and quick running between the wickets, before hitting another boundary in the 15th over.

Shafali went on an all-out attack, and Rodrigues slipped into the role of second fiddle, contributing only 12 runs when the half-century stand was raised. When India lost 3 for 16 in the space of four overs, Rodrigues remained calm and kept the team going. There was a mix-up with Shafali, which Rodrigues more than made up for by batting through to make an unbeaten 56. It was only her seventh half-century in 49 T20I innings.

Rodrigues smashed a full-length delivery down the ground for six, followed by a slap over cover to a perfectly acceptable length delivery two balls later, in the 16th over. Deepti Sharma, another player who has profited immensely from time in overseas leagues, was an able ally, finishing with an unbeaten 28-ball 34, as India smashed 58 off the last five overs.

Renuka Singh was on fire four nights after she announced herself with a new-ball burst against Australia. Off the third ball of the innings, she sent Deandra Dottin back for a duck. Two balls into her second over, she had Hayley Matthews who picked out mid-on. Then she was persisted with for a third straight over, and Renuka all but sealed it with the wickets of Kycia Knight and Aaliyah Alleyne. At 19 for 4 in five overs, Barbados was staring at the inevitable.

India’s spinners did well and Pooja Vastrakar got some playing time. Their fielders caught the balls and Ramesh Powar was excited. They weren’t going to let Australia win again.