India get off to a bright start in U-19 T20 Women’s World Cup as Shweta Sherawat sparkles

It was a bright start to the Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup for India as they eased past their Protean counterparts with an emphatic display of batting, bossing the choppy waters of uncertainty after the hosts managed to pile up a decent figure on the board, batting first.

The South African opening duo of Elandri Rensburg and Simone Lourens managed to get off to a fine start as the Indian bowlers struggled to get some steam in their sails. Sonam Yadav was the first one to draw blood as she got the better of Rensburg while an experienced Shafali Verma razed through the defences of    the South African skipper to return her for a golden duck. 

The hosts did manage to put in a staunch shift as the numbers kept on ticking with the Indian women keeping in constant check as South Africa struggled to break free from the jingle of the hefty chains that India managed to impose upon them.

With 167 to chase, Team India got off to an absolute blinder as Shweta Sherawat and Shafali Verma pressed the accelerator early and with Shweta’s mind-boggling brilliance and Shafali’s terrific power-hitting, India seemed in firm control.

Despite the fall of a few wickets at the other end, Shweta held fort at one, propelling India to a staggering win by 7 wickets as she stayed unbeaten for a sublime 92 from just 57 balls. Gongadi Trisha and Soumya Tiwari did manage to hang around for a brief period in time while it was Sonia Mendhiya who stood tall at the other end while Shweta helped India cross the line without breaking a sweat.

The Women in Blue will be up next against UAE at the same stadium as they will be eyeing a victory to bolster their group standings with the Emirates and Scots hoping to throw a spanner in the works.