IND-W vs BAN-W 1st T20I: Renuka Singh Stars As India Women Open Series With Win

Renuka Singh Thakur starred as the Indian women's team opened the tour of Bangladesh with a comprehensive 44-run victory in the first T20I at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (April 28).

After Shafali Varma and Yastika Bhatia made 30 plus scores to take India to 145/7, Renuka (3 for 18) and Pooja Vastrakar (2 for 25) halted Bangladesh's chase at 101/8.

Bangladesh struggled to get past the 100-run mark as India were in complete control, showing their dominance right from the powerplay with the pace duo of Renuka and Vastrakar combining to strike twice in the first 6 overs.

After the early wickets, the writing was on the wall for Bangladesh, but skipper Nigar Sultana waged a lone battle, but hardly found any support from her teammates as she scored a half century with a steady approach. However, her individual efforts were not enough to take her side across the finish line.

On their way to 101/8, Bangladesh were helped by a couple of misfields from the Indian fielders as they conceded some boundaries that were avoidable. Apart from Renuka and Pooja, Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadhav also claimed a wicket each for India.

Earlier, India stumbled after winning the toss and opting to bat first as they lost Smrithi Mandhana early, but Shafali (31 off 22) and Yastika (36 off 29) combined to steady India's dwindling ship with 43-run stand.

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (30 off 22) and Richa Ghosh (23 off 17) managed to get a positive start after Yastika and Shafali's dismissal. India looked like breaching the 170-run mark, but Bangladesh were tidy in the death overs and restricted India to 145/7.

For Bangladesh, Rabeya Khan (3 for 23) and Marufa Akter (2 for 13) were the pick of the bowlers, while Fahima Khatun and Fariha Trishna also chipped in with a wicket each. Here is a look at the brief scorecard from the IND-W vs BAN-W 1st T20I:

India Women vs Bangladesh Women 1st T20I Brief Scores

India 145/7 (Yastika Bhatia 36, Shafali Verma 31; Rabeya Khan 3-23) beat Bangladesh 101/8 (Nigar Sultana 51; Renuka Singh 3-18, Pooja Vastrakar 2-25) by 44 runs.

The India vs Bangladesh T20I series will continue with the second T20I at the same venue in Sylhet - Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (April 30).