India struggled defensively in their crucial Women’s T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh on Thursday, conceding four catches in the powerplay.Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana won the toss and elected to bat. India, coming into the match after losing to South Africa, made two changes, introducing Radha Yadav swear Renuka Thakur represents Prema Yadhav and Arundhati Reddy. Bangladesh retained the same line-up that defeated Pakistan in the previous match.
With India, South Africa and Bangladesh all on four points after three games, separated only by net margin of victory, this game holds significance in the race for the semi-finals. Australia, meanwhile, top Group One with four wins from four games.The first reprieve came in the third round when Juairiya Ferdous swept Shree Charani from the top corner. The ball flies towards short fine leg and hangs in the air long enough for Yashtika Bhatia to run past fine fine leg and start diving. She grasped it with her fingers, but could not complete the capture.India missed another chance in the next over. Juairiya pulled Renuka Singh’s short ball straight towards Radha Yadav deep in the middle half. The opportunity came at a comfortable height, Rada caught it with both hands, but the ball slipped out. It was an unusual slip for a fielder of Radha’s stature and came after she caught two catches off Marisan Kapur during India’s loss to South Africa.The mistakes didn’t stop there. In the fifth over, Sobhana Mostary drove hard on a Shree Charani delivery and cut the ball into the covers. Nandani Sharma moved quickly to his left and dived to catch the ball with both hands but failed to complete the catch.One ball later, Nandani was in action again. Juairiya tries a tough sweep and the top edge flies towards short third. Nandani quickly covered the ground and pounced, but the ball didn’t stick and Bangladesh died again.The sequence frustrated India, with four chances being reduced in 11 deliveries. The missed chances helped Bengal recover from early pressure and finish the powerplay at 40/1 after six overs.The decline in catches also continues a worrying trend in India. In the last match against South Africa, Radha capitalized on two chances provided by Marisan Kapp, who ended up scoring an unbeaten 81 and played a key role in the six-wicket win.
