India clinch inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup

India’s young guns created history after clinching the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in a one-sided contest against pre-tournament favorites England in Potchefstroom. Shafali Verma’s side never let a moment’s respite to their opponents in a comprehensive bowling performance, restricting them to a paltry 68 in the grand finale.

Chasing a modest total, India came out all guns blazing as skipper Shafali Verma threatened to finish the game in a hurry. However, Alexa Stonehouse took a blinder to put a halt to Shafali’s onslaught in the third over. English skipper Grace Scrivens dismissed the other Indian opener in the very next over to provide a glimmer of hope for her side.

But the 17-year-old Soumya Tiwari extinguished the hopes of an English comeback with her calm and composed innings. Her steady 46-run stand with Gongadi Trisha brought India to the cusp of a historic victory. Soumya hit the winning runs for India with her team-mates running on to the field to celebrate their triumph.

India bowelrs setup the victory with a dominating show in the first innings

Indian skipper Shafali Verma, who celebrated her 19th birthday on the eve of the finale, opted to bowl first after winning the toss in the title bout. Her decision paid instant dividends as Titas Sadhu sent back Liberty Heap for a two-ball duck in the first over of the match. The Indians kept the pressure on their opponents with some sharp work in the field during the initial stages.

Things got worse for the young English team when Archana Devi bagged two scalps, including England skipper Grace Scrivens, in the fourth over of the match to further tighten India’s grip on the match. While the pitch had a considerable amount of assistance for the bowlers, the English batters did not cover themselves with glory either owing to questionable shot selections.

With the team reeling at 22/4 just after the powerplay, England’s Ryana MacDonald-Gay tried to consolidate with a brief stand with Charis Pavely. However, both batters fell in quick succession, with Ryana succumbing to a stunning one-handed catch by Archana Devi. The procession wasn’t stopping anytime soon for England as the Women in Blue kept chipping away wickets, thereby reducing the Three Lions to a paltry total of 68 runs.

The Indian bowlers were relentless from the get-go, especially the new ball bowler Titas Sadhu, who returned with magnificent bowling figures of 2/6 in her four overs.