India Women boost their NRR, semi-finals hopes with 82-run win over Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World 2024

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India Women gave a massive boost to their Net Run Rate and semi-final qualification hopes after beating Sri Lanka Women by 82 runs in their third match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, October 9.

India Women, who were fourth in the five-team Group A, jumped to second spot with two wins and a positive Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.576. However, they have played a match more than third-placed Pakistan Women, and fourth-placed New Zealand Women. Australia are the Group A leaders with two wins in two matches.

India Women registered a six-wicket win over Pakistan after losing their opener against New Zealand by 58 runs, but came up with their most comprehensive performance in the ongoing ICC showpiece event against the reigning Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma stitched a 98-run stand off 77 balls after Harmanpreet Kaur opted to bat first in the evening fixture.

But the momentum was lost once Mandhana (50 off 38) and Verma (43 off 40) departed in consecutive deliveries of the 13th over. The run rate dropped and when Jemimah Rodrigues departed, the India Women scorecard read 128/3 in 16.2 overs.

A big win was needed to boost the NRR, and a big total was the need of the hour. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur took the onus on her by hitting an unbeaten 27-ball fifty - fastest by an India Women batter at the T20 World Cups - and taking the team total to 172/3 in 20 overs.

Sri Lanka, who chased down a 166-run target with eight wickets and eight balls to spare in the Asia Cup final in July, were three down for six runs in 2.2 overs.

They could never recover from the early blows and were bundled out for 90. Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana picked three wickets each, but it was pacer Renuka Singh (2/16) and young spinner Shreyanka Patil (1/15), who removed the Sri Lankan top three to ensure India Women's biggest win in the T20 World Cup history.

India will face Australia Women in their last group stage match on October 13.