Indian women enter semi-finals by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	India Women v Sri Lanka Women
Player:	M Raj, PG Raut, R Dhar, G Sultana, HMD Rasangika
Event:	ICC Women's World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 15th June 2009

 

Excellent batting under pressure from Mithali Raj (32 off 22 balls) and some great bowling by Rumeli Dhar helped India beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and with seven balls to spare and enter the semi-finals.

 

Chasing 95 to win in 18 overs, the Indian team started off on a steady note. The opening pair of Anjum Chopra (11 off 18 balls) and Poonam Raut added 27 runs. They were separated when Udeshika Prabodhani got the better of Chopra.

 

Then a couple of more wickets meant that India were in a deep mire, staring at defeat having being pushed to 36 for three. But then India's best batswoman Mithali Raj came onto the crease and joined Raut (30). The duo added 24 runs and it must be said that Mithali’s aggressive show in the partnership brought India back into the game.

 

Wickets kept on falling as Reema Malhotra (12 off 12 balls) went after adding 19 runs with Mithali. But Mithali found an able ally in Amita Sharma and both of them took India home with seven balls to spare.

 

Earlier having won the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bat first. Dhar was at her brilliant self though both Jhulan Goswami and Sharma went for a few runs to start off. Sri Lanka though had lost three quick wickets with the score stuck at just 16. Two of the three went to Dhar whose spell read a phenomenal 4-2-4-2.

 

After the fall of these wickets, Chamari Atapattu (16) and Dilani Manodara (17) added 21 runs before being separated. If it was Dhar who wrecked the top-order, the middle order was taken care of Gouher Sultana who scalped a couple of wickets and made sure Sri Lanka do not run away with the advantage.

 

Finally a quickfire 24 from 20 deliveries by Deepika Rasangika gave the Sri Lankans bowlers something to bowl to, after at one stage they were looking to set up a meagre score for the Indians. Rasangika's knock was studded with three hits to the fence.