Harmanpreet helps India storm into World Cup Final

The outcome of the semi final match of Women’s World Cup Cricket between India and Australia on Thursday brought cheer to the Indians as Harmanpreet Kaur’s amazing knock of 171 off 115 balls helped to beat a strong Australian side and steer India into the finals. Kaur ‘s whirlwind knock which included 20 fours and seven sixes is considered to be one of the greatest ever ODI knocks in women’s cricket. India defeated the Australians by 36 runs to secure a place in the final. Harmanpreet had earlier played the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) for Sydney Thunders due to which she was familiar with the Australian attack and this worked to her advantage. India had set a target of 282 for Australia who got off to a terrible start as they lost three wickets inside the opening eight overs. Elyse Villani displayed some impressive hits, but Australia was not able to keep up with the required run rate and were all out for 245 with 11 balls left. This is the second time India has reached the final of the World Cup after their previous final in 2005. They too experienced a disappointing start when they were down to 101-3 which included the dismissal of their inspirational captain, Mithali Raj. That is when Harmanpreet Kaur came into the picture and along with all-rounder Deepti Sharma bolstered the innings with a rapid fourth-wicket partnership of 137 to lead India to victory. India will play England in the finals on Sunday at Lords.

The journey of Indian Women’s National Cricket Team

The Indian women’s national cricket team is gradually climbing the ladders of success with stellar performances from its team members that have helped them secure a berth in the World Cup semi finals. India made its Test debut in 1976, against the West Indies at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in 1976. It has played a total of 36 test matches out of which 25 were drawn, 5 matches were won and had to face defeat in 6 matches. The team’s first One Day International ( ODI ) was against England in the Edens Gardens in Kolkata in 1978. Out of the 241 ODIs that India has played, it has triumphed in 132 matches. This year the Women in Blue seem to be on a winning spree as out of the 18 matches that they played, they have emerged victorious in 15 matches. Indian skipper Mithali Raj had in May guided her team to success as India clinched the Quadrangular Series between India, South Africa, Ireland and Zimbabwe. India broke a world record in the Series when openers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut made a 320-run opening partnership against Ireland. It was the first 300-run stand by any pair in women's cricket.  The team also had a great start in this year’s World cup.  The first match was against England who was defeated by the Indians in their own backyard. It was the opening stand between Smriti Mandhana and Poonam Raut that did it for India and helped them defeat England by 35 runs. Smriti Mandhana’s aggressive knock won her the Player of the match award. They were triumphant against their next match against the West Indies with the spinners doing a great job. Smriti Mandhana scored a century and was adjudged Player of the Match. She also became the fifth Indian player to score more than one 100 in ODI after Mithali (5), Harmanpreet (2), Thirush Kamini (2) and Jaya Sharma (2). The July 2  win over their rivals Pakistan in India’s third match of the World Cup was memorable. Although Indians were defending a small total, Ekta Bisht (player of the Match) bowled a superb spell to lead India to victory winning by 95 runs. This was followed by two defeats at the hands of South Africa and Australia, but India bounced back by defeating New Zealand to secure a berth in the semi finals. Mithali Raj, Player of the Match broke records to steer India to a formidable win against New Zealand. While England and South Africa are playing their first semi final match today, the second semi final match will be between India and Australia on July 20. Let’s cheer the Women in Blue to victory. They certainly have come a long way and deserve lots of applause and ovation.