Who is India's Asian Games final hero Titas Sadhu? Details
What's the story
Titas Sadhu was the pick of the bowlers for the Indian women's cricket team in the 2023 Asian Games final against Sri Lanka in Hangzhou, China. The young pacer bowled brilliantly with the new ball and finished with figures of 3/6 as India defeated SL by 19 runs to clinch the gold medal. Chasing 117, SL could only manage 97/8 from 20 overs.
Debut
Sadhu shines on WT20I debut for India
Sadhu was included in the Indian team for the event as a surprise package and she delivered. She knocked the wind out of SL's sails by scalping three quick wickets as she made the new ball talk. The scalps included SL captain Chamari Athapaththu, which pushed them back considerably. Sadhu also removed Anushka Sanjeewani and Vishmi Gunaratne to hand India a superb advantage.
Titas Sadhu
Who is Titas Sadhu?
Born on September 29, 2004, Sadhu hails from West Bengal's Chinsura district. Interestingly, Sadhu followed her father who was a state-level athlete and started her career as a sprinter, and also tried her hand at swimming. However, the 18-year-old found her love in cricket eventually. She was an integral part of India's Women's U-19 World Cup-winning squad which happened earlier in 2023.
U-19 World Cup
Sadhu impressed at the 2023 U-19 Women's World Cup
The young speedster showed a lot of promise in the inaugural Women's U-19 World Cup. Sadhu scalped six wickets in as many matches at 12.83. However, she shone for India in the finals as she finished with 2/6 in four overs against England and won the POTM award. Notably, Sadhu made her international debut in the preceding game against Bangladesh. She returned with 1/10.
Record
Joint second-least runs conceded by an Indian in WT20IS
The 18-year-old finished with impressive figures of 3/6 from her four overs. She conceded the joint second-least runs by an Indian in WT20Is. As per ESPNCricinfo, only Rumeli Dhar, who finished with figures of 2/4 from her four overs against Sri Lanka in 2009 is ahead of Sadhu. Sadhu is tied with Radha Yadav (2/6 vs West Indies) for second place.
Summary
How did the match pan out?
India lost the in-form Shafali Verma (9) cheaply after opting to bat first. Smriti Mandhana (46) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42) then added 73 runs for the second wicket to put India on command. India lost a flurry of wickets toward the end and eventually managed 116/7. In reply, Sadhu ran through SL's top order with three quick wickets. SL were restricted to 97/8.
Information
Delhi Capitals roped in Sadhu for WPL 2023
After a sensational Women's U-19 World Cup, Sadhu was picked up by the Women's Premier League outfit Delhi Capitals for ₹25 lakhs at the WPL auction. However, the youngster didn't get a single game in the inaugural franchise tournament.