To lose was sad !
yet, Mithali Raj & her team can feel proud for the way they played the game.
For the first time in 12 years, in front of a capacity crowd at the iconic
Lord's and millions more watching back home, India had the ultimate shot at ending their big-moment
hoodoo in the grand finals of the ICC
Women's World Cup 2017 on Sunday (July 23).
The mood in Indian
camp was upbeat. They had beaten England
so soundly in their opening match and that great innings of Harmanpreet enabled
beating mighty Australia too. The team
has been performing well. Both captains
entered the Lord’s museum with beaming smiles that broke for a moment as they
cast their eyes on the trophy to their left before taking their seats to
address the media. Of all the collections in all the cricket grounds, this is
one that rarely struggles for attention.
India’s captain,
Mithali Raj, had been calm and composed before this final World Cup
match. There is not much in the game she has not witnessed in an international
career that started in England in 1999 and has seen her amass 228 international
caps. Contrast that to England captain Heather Knight, whose 74 ODI appearances
at 26 years of age hints at a precocious talent that came good when in fact she
is only just getting started.
In the end, it was
the nerves ~ India looked good after a grand partnership between Punam Raut and
Harmanpreet after Mithali was run out. Earlier Smriti Mandhana was out for a
duck. Nick-named , 'Hoof' Anya has the
ability to swing the ball both ways, it was not much of her swing but her
steely nerves and resolve that did the trick.
England won the
toss and opted to bat. A fine spell by
Jhulan Goswami 10-3-23-3; Natali Sciver 51 and Sarah Taylor 45 – England ended
up 228/7 and the chase looked gettable. Jhulan had new-ball spell - 5-2-9-0 – keeping England's
run rate in check even while their openers scored at eight an over at the other
end. Her second - 5-1-14-3 - ripped the heart out of England's innings.
Indian chase was in
disarray and chaotic towards the end as they finished 219 just 9 short of the
target. Punam Raut 86, Harmenpreet 51
and Veda Krishnamurthy 35 scored; Smriti, Jhulan, Sushma and Rajeshwari failed
to open their accounts.
England’s dreams of
victory looked to be slipping away when Poonam Raut was batting brilliantly as
India chased 229 to win. But when the 27-year-old opener fell lbw to Shrubsole
for 86 the wheels came off the innings. Wickets fell regularly as the pressure
grew and when India needed 11 to win from the final 12 balls the match was wide
open. Shrubsole had Deepti Sharma caught by Natalie Sciver off the first ball
of the penultimate over and then bowled Rajeshwari Gayakwad to give England a
famous win. From 138/2 – it was 191/4 and 201/7 – India lost but Indian women
stole many a heart by their good performance.
For a change, this
time, the financial incentive is
great, too. The winners take home a
cheque of £508,888 (4.25 crores), with the runners-up receiving half as much.
The BCCI announced on Saturday that each member of the India team will receive
INR 50 lakhs for their performance in the World Cup, regardless of whether they
bring home the trophy.
Well done Mithali Raj and team – we are proud of you
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
23rd July 2017 @ 10.20 pm.
My preferences are purely Indian.I always keep doing Ethnic Imitation Jewellery online shopping. Women should do it to make them look posh, gorgeous and elegant as well.
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