Having already qualified for the semi-final of the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup, courtesy of their victory over New Zealand, and with a seemingly unrelenting, unstoppable Australia looming on the horizon, India’s wishlist for Sunday’s (26 October) match against Bangladesh was limited. A victory in a match like this would only have a psychological effect, but in terms of tangible returns, India would have wanted a few of their usually-benched players to have a good run, and prevent any injuries.
The former aspiration was realised. Radha Yadav, playing only her first match in the tournament, picked up three wickets. Amanjot Kaur, making a return to the playing XI, took one wicket for 18 runs in her five-over spell, and then remained unbeaten on a 25-ball 15 in the chase.
The latter aspiration, though, could not materialise. Pratika Rawal, fresh off a century against New Zealand, and having proven to be one of India’s more reliable players in this competition, twisted her right ankle while trying to save a boundary in the last ball of the 20th over, on what was a wet outfield at the DY Patil Stadium.
Bangladesh Struggle With The Bat, Again
Earlier, the match was reduced to 27 overs per side owing to multiple stints of showers. Asking Bangladesh to bat first, India took very little time to justify the decision as Renuka Singh, having found rhythm on the back of her two wickets against New Zealand, dismissed Sumaiya Akter in the very first over.
A 34-run partnership between Rubya Haider Jhelik and Sharmin Akhter Supta seemed to have settled Bangladesh’s ship, but it was not backed by any partnership enough for Bangladesh to post a significant score.
Supta, who struggled with cramps in the previous match against Sri Lanka, extended her good run of form to score 36 runs, whilst Sobhana Mostary seemed to be the only Bangladeshi batter who had gotten the memo of the game being reduced to 27 overs, for she scored 26 runs in 21 deliveries, hitting four deliveries in the process.
Spinners Didn't Let Aavishkar Salvi Down
There is not much to report from the Bangladeshi innings otherwise, except that their final score was 119/9. For India, however, spinners causing trouble on what is otherwise a batting-friendly track at the DY Patil Stadium was a major positive. Deepti Sharma, Shree Charani and Radha Yadav combined to pick up six of Bangladesh’s nine wickets, whilst conceding only 77 runs in 17 overs.
On the eve of the match, The Quint had asked Aavishkar Salvi, India’s bowling coach, about whether playing their remaining matches at the DY Patil Stadium might prove to be costly, for the venue usually offers very little purchase to what is India’s prized asset — the spinners.
Salvi had shown faith in his spinners by saying:
As a bowler, I feel that you must leave the wicket aside, so that your quality speaks for itself. You see Sree Charani, you see Deepti Sharma, you see Sneh Rana on the wickets where there was no help for the spinners. They have always come out, and they have performed as well as the fast bowlers playing on placid tracks. So, it’s not like they won’t be able to perform on a particular surface. It's only about having the best combination out there, having the best mindset out there and coming out and contributing to the team. That's what these girls have been focusing upon in all the games that you have played so far.Aavishkar Salvi, India's bowling coach
Pratika Rawal's Injury A Major Concern, But Harmanpreet Kaur Is Hopeful
India will be content with how Salvi’s words were instantaneously validated, as they will be with Smriti Mandhana’s continued streak of scoring with ease. She had struck 34 runs from only 27 deliveries when rain halted play, resulting in the abandonment of the game. India had scored 57/0 from 8.4 overs, and were on course for what would have been a comfortable victory, had it not been for rain playing spoilsport yet again in this tournament — albeit not in Colombo on this occasion, for a change.
Ahead of the match against Australia, however, India will be concerned about the extent of Pratika Rawal’s injury, who was visibly distressed after the ankle twist. For, she has scored 308 runs in this competition at an average of 51.33, 75 of which came against Australia itself.
Speaking about her status after the game, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said:
Pratika is being monitored by the medical team, and hopefully they'll get back soon. It's a very important game for us against Australia. We have played very good cricket in the league matches, and everyone has contributed, which we'll carry forward. Hopefully, Pratika will be fine for the next game.Harmanpreet Kaur
Bangladesh Finishes Ahead Of Pakistan
As for Bangladesh, they would feel rain has done them poetic justice after suffering agonisingly narrow defeats against England, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Now tied on three points with Pakistan, Bangladesh will finish ahead of Fatima Sana’s team, in the seventh position, courtesy of having won more matches than Pakistan.
Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana Joty, who seemed distraught after the previous defeat to the Lankans, spoke about the positives that they can take from this campaign, with the seventh-place finish also securing a sizeable financial package for the team.
Maybe it will take one or two weeks to recover. How we started the tournament gave us momentum, and we played a few close games against England, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Some moments could have helped us win those. We've been working hard as a group, and we know each other, which helps us on the ground. Our young players are giving 110% and they have given a lot of positives. There are a lot of things we can take from here, which we will discuss about, like the areas we can work on.Nigar Sultana Joty
Navi Mumbai Fans Break Attendance Record Yet Again
Notably, the crowd at the DY Patil Stadium deserves plaudits for having turned up in huge numbers. A total of 25,965 fans attended the match, which is the highest attended league stage game of any ICC women’s tournament, breaking the previous record of 25,166, created on this stadium itself on 23 October’s match against New Zealand.
India, having finished fourth with seven points, will face an uphill task against seven-time champions Australia in the semi-finals on 30 October. Should they be victorious, they will be playing in the final of the 50-over World Cup for the third time, after 2005 and 2017.
In the other semi-final, two-time champions England will face South Africa, who are aiming to qualify for the final of the ODI World Cup for the first time in their history.