By Anushka Rajvedi
On Sunday, India locked its entry in the semi finals of the ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup, after defeating Bangladesh by eight wickets.
After South Africa and Australia, India has qualified for the semi-finals of ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup when it defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in the Super-six clash at Kuala Lumpur’s Bayuemas Oval on 26 January 2025, Sunday.
The Indian team was led to its fourth successive win in the tournament by Niki Prasad. Bangladesh opted to bat first. The team used an aggressive method against India. However, their strategy failed, when they lost three wickets in just 15 runs. Indian bowlers Joshitha VJ, Shabnam Shakil and Vaishnavi Sharma took one wicket each, weakening the strategy of Bangladesh’s batters.
Bangladesh increased the tempo of the match, when Sumaiya Akhter and Jannatul Maoua scored a partnership of 31 runs. Their partnership created anxiety for the Indian team. The match took an interesting turn when Vaishnavi Sharma’s bowling took the wicket of Jannatul Maoua. The first inning soon turns into the favor of India when Bangladesh makes just 64 runs in 20 overs with a loss of eight wickets.
India maintained its pace from the beginning of the second innings. India smashed Bangladesh when the opener Trish Gongadi, with a strike rate of 129, made 40 runs with eight boundaries. After Trisha, the team captain Niki Prasad and Sanika Chalke came onto the field. They turned the entire tournament to India’s side when they achieved the target in just 7.1 overs, leading India to become the third team to enter the semi-finals after South Africa and Australia.
England has joined the pool of semi-finalists as the fourth team, after defeating New Zealand on 27 January 2025, Monday. Since, India along with South Africa, was a part of Group 2 in Super-six clash, either Australia or England will be the opponents of India in the semi-finals.
The four teams are all set to face each other in the semi-finals that will be held on 31 January 2025 at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur. The opponents of the team will be announced after the Super-six matches end on 29 January, Wednesday.