ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup: India's road to final
Team India has advanced to the final of the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup. They will meet England in the summit clash on Sunday (January 29) at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. It must be noted that the Indian side has suffered just one defeat in the competition so far. Here we look at their journey in the tournament.
Road to the final!
India, led by Shafali Verma, finished the league stage atop the Group D standings with three wins in as many games. The tally includes wins over hosts South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Scotland. Their only defeat came against Australia in the super-six round. However, they bounced with a win versus Sri Lanka. The Women in Blue thrashed New Zealand in the semi-final.
A look at the match results
India started off their campaign with a seven-wicket win over SA. They beat UAE and Scotland by 122 and 83 runs, respectively. The side began the super-six round with a humiliating seven-wicket defeat against the Aussies. Nevertheless, they advanced to the semis with a thumping seven-wicket win over SL. Shafali's team walked away with an eight-wicket triumph against NZ in the knockout game.
Shweta Sehrawat's sensational show with the bat
Shweta Sehrawat has been on a roll as she is currently the highest run-scorer in the competition. She currently owns 292 runs in six games (50s: 3). Her strike rate reads 141.06. The opener has returned unbeaten four times as she averages 146. Meanwhile, England's Grace Scrivens (289) is the only other batter with over 200 runs in the tournament so far.
How have the big names fared?
Skipper Shafali and wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh are the only internationally-capped players in the Indian team. With 157 runs, the former is currently the fourth-highest run-getter in the competition (one fifty). Her strike rate of 201.28 is the highest among batters with 10 or more runs in the tournament. Meanwhile, Richa has accumulated 93 runs in four innings at 23.25 (SR: 127.39).
Stars in the bowling department
With nine wickets in five games, Parshavi Chopra is currently the joint-third-highest wicket-taker in the competition (ER: 7.11). Left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap has scalped eight wickets in five games. She has been conceding runs at a paltry rate of 4.70. Both Parshavi and Mannat own a four-wicket haul in the competition. With six wickets, off-spinner Archana Devi is India's third-highest wicket-taker (ER: 4.63).
