New Delhi: After securing victory in their third T20I match against Australia in Hobart on Sunday, members of the senior Indian men’s cricket team came together to watch the Women’s World Cup final between India and South Africa, cheering for their home side from a distance.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a photo showing head coach Gautam Gambhir, fielding coach T. Dilip, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and other staff members as they watched the World Cup final.
Captioning the picture, the BCCI wrote, “Backing the #WomenInBlue”.
The highly anticipated ODI World Cup final between India and South Africa was delayed by two hours due to persistent rain at the venue, which pushed back the toss. With both teams aiming for their first ICC trophy, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first.
Team India got off to a strong start, as openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana performed exceptionally well during the mandatory powerplay, scoring 64 runs in 10 overs. They went on to build a solid 104-run partnership before Chloe Tryon took the first wicket, dismissing Mandhana and giving her team their first breakthrough.
Shafali, who made her way into the squad before the high-stakes semi-final, had struggled in that knockout game against Australia. In that match, it was Jemimah Rodrigues’ century and Harmanpreet Kaur’s impressive 89-run inning that propelled India past the defending champions and into their third 50-over World Cup final.
However, Shafali silenced her critics with a confident performance, taking on the South African bowlers. She achieved her half-century on the last ball of the 18th over, reaching the milestone off just 49 deliveries.
Thanks to her composed batting and Rodrigues’ steady innings from the other end, India reached 151 for 1 at the halfway mark.
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Photo Credit: BCCI/X
–IANS
