(Image Source: SonyLiv)
[Saba Sports News] After serving a two-match ban, Harmanpreet Kaur returned to captain India in her 100th T20I, leading them to a historic gold medal win against Sri Lanka in Hangzhou, China.
Earlier this year, Harmanpreet had been banned and fined 25% of her match fee by the ICC for criticizing umpires during a game against Bangladesh. This suspension kept her out of the initial Asian Games 2023 matches. Smriti Mandhana took charge admirably, guiding India to the final.
Harmanpreet returned, opting to bat first on a challenging pitch. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues laid a solid foundation with a 73-run partnership off 67 balls. However, subsequent batters struggled in the difficult conditions, adding just 27 runs in the remaining 31 balls and losing five wickets.
Chasing 117 for victory, young Titas Sadhu made an impact by dismissing Anushka Sanjeewani and Vishmi Gunaratne in the third over. Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu’s wicket fell in the fifth over as Sadhu claimed her third scalp.
Despite efforts from Hasini Perera, Nilakshi de Silva, and Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harmanpreet rotated her bowlers effectively, building pressure. India ultimately triumphed by 19 runs, with Sadhu shining with exceptional figures of 3/6 in her four overs.