London: India’s spin attack delivered a timely reminder of its potency as Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil combined to secure a convincing 26-run victory over the West Indies in a Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match at Sophia Gardens on Thursday.
With their much-anticipated tournament opener against Pakistan just days away, the defending ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup champions produced a well-rounded performance that showcased both batting depth and bowling discipline.
Asked to bat first, India made an aggressive start through Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. The opening pair immediately put the West Indies bowlers under pressure, with Mandhana smashing 39 off just 23 deliveries before falling inside the powerplay. Verma continued the assault, scoring a brisk 29 at a strike rate above 220 before departing shortly afterwards.
India’s innings briefly lost momentum during the middle overs as experienced leg-spinner Afy Fletcher turned the tide for the Caribbean side. Fletcher claimed four wickets and helped reduce India to 85 for three, threatening to derail the innings.
However, Bharti Fulmali steadied the ship with a composed and unbeaten half-century. The middle-order batter struck 56 not out from 40 deliveries, anchoring the innings superbly and guiding India to a competitive total of 179 for eight despite a late wobble.
The West Indies began their chase positively despite the absence of captain Hayley Matthews. Shemaine Campbelle and Deandra Dottin kept their side firmly in contention, with Campbelle retiring out on 25 and Dottin producing a typically aggressive innings of 49.
At one stage, the contest appeared evenly balanced.
But India’s spinners had other ideas.
Radha Yadav seized control of the match in the 14th over, striking three times in quick succession to dismantle the West Indies middle order and swing momentum decisively in India’s favour.
Shreyanka Patil then completed the job with an impressive spell of four for 36 as the Caribbean side finished on 153 for eight, falling 26 runs short of the target.
The victory provides India with valuable momentum heading into Sunday’s high-profile clash against Pakistan and underlines the importance of their spin attack in English conditions.
Earlier in the day, six-time champions Australia also sent a strong message to their rivals, defeating hosts England by five wickets in another warm-up fixture.
After restricting England to 157 for six, Australia comfortably chased down the target thanks to a commanding 64 from veteran all-rounder Ellyse Perry and an assured 43 from Beth Mooney, reaching the target with 10 balls to spare.
Australia will begin their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa on Saturday, while India will look to carry their winning momentum into what promises to be a blockbuster opening encounter against Pakistan.
