NEW DELHI: India must win Women’s T20 World Cup against Australia emotions run high as close friends Smriti Mandhan and Jemimah Rodrigues were involved in a heated exchange after a costly mix-up in midfield.India got off to a solid start, with openers Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) putting on a 66-run partnership. However, after Shafali’s dismissal, a miscommunication between Mandhana and Jemimah saw the former run out at a crucial stage of the innings.The incident occurred in the 12th when Jemimah played Georgia Wareham’s reverse to the lower third baseman. Mandhana looked for a quick single and went straight away but Jemimah was watching the ball and didn’t respond in time. Australia were quick to seize the opportunity and Mandhana ran out after a direct throw reached the bowler.As Mandhana returned to the pavilion, both players looked visibly frustrated and exchanged angry looks. Watch:Although Mandhana later apologized, the incident briefly caused a tense moment between the two teammates, who shared a close bond off the field.
‘It’s part of the game. We proceeded quite quickly’: Mandhana
Despite the struggles of the middle order, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur he produced a sensational innings, smashing 56 runs off just 27 balls to take India to 170/4. Her explosive batting in the final over, which included three consecutive sixes from Australian captain Sophie Molineux, helped India score 36 runs in the last two overs.Referring to the innings and run-out, Mandhana downplayed the incident. She said, “Yeah, I mean, it happens. It’s part of the game. We moved on pretty quickly.”With their semi-final hopes hanging in the balance, India will now look to defend what looks to be a competitive total against the six-time champions.
