On the historic day of women’s international cricket, India women’s national cricket team started their journey in the Commonwealth Games 2022 (Birmingham 2022) with a shocking three-wicket defeat against Australia Women.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur chose to bat first after winning the toss in that women’s international cricket’s debut in CWG 2022. While the Indian team scored 154/8 in 20 overs, Australia were once struggling on 49/5 in the eighth over. But the late batters Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris heroically snatched a great victory as they chased the target in 19 overs after losing seven wickets.
India Women: 154/8 in 20 overs
Openers Smriti Mandhana (24 off 17 balls) and Shafali Verma (48 off 33 balls) provided a good start, while the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur became the first female cricketer to score a fifty in CWG history. Harmanpreet’s 52 off 34 balls (8 fours and 1 six) massively helped the team to manage a challenging total as only Jemimah Rodrigues (11) was the other Indian to manage the double-digit score in that first innings.
Aussie bowler Jess Jonassen bagged four wickets as she finished with the bowling figures of 4-0-22-4.
Australia Women: From 49/5 to 157/7 in 19 overs
The right-arm pacer Renuka Singh fired in the early second innings of the game as she took the first four Aussie wickets in just the first five overs. She dismissed the top four batters cheaply as Alyssa Healy (0), Beth Mooney (10), skipper Meg Lanning (8) and Tahlia McGrath (14) were her victims.
In the eighth over of that chasing, when Deepti Sharma took the wicket of Rachael Haynes, the Australian team was battling on 49/5. But then Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris quickly changed the scenario of the game with a 51-run partnership in 34 balls for the sixth wicket.
Harris scored 37 off 20 balls before Meghna Singh dismissed her. But Gardner stayed to the crease to ensure Australia’s incredible win. While Gardner was not out on 52 runs off 35 balls, Alana King ended that game with a boundary (18 not out off 16 balls). Gardner and King had an unbroken 47 runs partnership in 28 balls for the eighth wicket.
Renuka completed her four-over quota with 4/18 bowling figures. But her brilliant effort ultimately went in vain.
Attention on tri-colour on Indian jersey
India women’s national cricket team’s jersey also caught attention during this historic WT20I game in CWG 2022. While the tri-colour has been implanted on the first letter of ‘INDIA’, that tri-colour hasn’t the Ashoka Chakra.
While there are certain restrictions on using the national tri-colour flag, The Government of India had earlier clarified of no issue using this tri-colour flag on the helmets or costumes but without the Ashok Chakra. Embedding the Indian flag on the jersey or helmets can violate the Prevention of Insults to the National Honour Act, 1971
A Home Ministry official had once claimed, “There is no objection to the tricolour being used on the helmet or on the costume by the players. However, the national flag (tricolour complete with Ashok Chakra) cannot be displayed as per existing law.”
