India-W put up a strong show with the bat before rain plays spoilsport in China

Incessant downpour had the final say in the Indian women's cricket team's opening fixture of the Asian Games 2023 against Malaysia as play was abandoned only a few balls into the second innings.

With the game being abandoned, India got a free pass to the semi-finals due to a higher ranking where they will be awaiting one of the winners in the upcoming quarterfinals which are still to be played.

Despite a washout, India had a firm say in the affair as their batters posted a rollicking display, taking the Malaysian bowlers to the cleaners. Shafali Verma got off to a feisty start, blasting 67 off just 39 balls while Smriti Mandhana maintained the tempo perfectly at the other end. The RCB skipper hammered home a crucial 27 from just 16 balls which saw her clobbering five fours.

However, that wasn’t the end of the story for the Indian dominance as Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh were equally destructive in the latter half of the innings with the former knitting together 47 off 29 while the RCB wicket-keeper batter clubbed a 7-ball-21.

In a match that was started late due to rains, India amassed 173 runs for the loss of two from their allotment of 15 overs, leaving their opposition with a mammoth task at hand.

However, even before the Indian bowling could start firing, the skies cracked open and the rain gods were straight into action, pouring down in spades that didn’t allow the game to go any further. The game had to be called off considering that the ground was beyond repair at least for the day, implying a free ticket to the semifinal for the Indian team.