India 156 in 5 (Hemalatha 37, Mandhana 33, Harmanpreet 30, Nahida 2-27, Laveya 2-28) Bangladesh 6 (Moni 37, Radha 3-24, Asha 2-25) 135 for 21 runs.
Radha, who returned to India after being off the national radar for a year, finished the series as the most successful bowler with 10 wickets, which earned her the Player-of-the-Series award. -On Thursday she received the match award for her three wicket haul.
After losing the T20I series 2-1 against Australia at home, India will be delighted with a convincing series win in Bangladesh, which hosts the T20 World Cup in October. But Bangladesh have now lost eight T20Is in a row, five here and three previously against Australia, all at home.
But despite losing five wickets at the halfway stage of the chase, Bangladesh crossed the 120-run mark for the first time in the series thanks to Moni’s 37 off 33 balls and Shorifa’s unbeaten 28 runs from 21 balls. However, there was little attention from other hitters.
Titas Sadhu gave India the first breakthrough when he removed Sobhana Mostary for 9-ball 13 in the third over. In the next over, Radha struck and was dismissed by Dilara Akter for a mispull on mid-on. Radha’s third double-wicket over came in the ninth over when she knocked down the stumps of Nigar Sultana with a spinning, odd delivery, and three balls later she trapped Rubia Haider lbw for 20. Figures 2-0-4-3. She went 3 for 24 after being targeted by Moni and Shorifa.
After 10 overs, Bangladesh were 52 for 5 and needed 105 off the remaining 60 balls.
But Moni fought back. She charged down the track against the spinners, used her width when offered to score towards backward point, and also played a ramp shot to Pooja Vastrakar. With Shorifa, she shared a partnership of 57 runs off 41 balls for the sixth wicket, reducing the equation to 53 runs off 24 balls. But S Asha, playing his second T20I, dashed Bangladesh’s hopes by dismissing Moni in the 17th over. Asha took 2 for 25 in 4 overs.
Hemalatha, Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Ghosh shine with the bat.
With Bangladesh underperforming, India were 71 for 2 after 10 overs, with Mandhana and Hemalatha taking the lead after Shafali Verma, playing his 100th international, was beaten early. Mandhana, in particular, showed good intentions with 33 off 25 balls, hitting 6 overs with four clean fours and an additional cover off off-spinner Sultana Khatoon. However, she was awarded lbw in the eighth over, with replays suggesting her ball hit the pad just outside the stumps when she attempted to punch on her back foot and missed. No DRS meant Mandhana had to leave.
Third-placed Hemalatha started slowly and scored 13 runs from the first 17 balls. She also failed on the 8th hole. But she accelerated and soon found her own touch, scoring 37 runs off her 28 balls. This included two powerful hits long on and long off for a six and two fours. A dash down the track and then a sweep and swpie to midwicket.
India’s innings really took off when Harmanpreet joined him. The pair put on 60 runs off 42 deliveries for the third wicket, with the India captain chipping in with a 24-ball 30. After 12 balls, Harmanpreet picked up the pace and hit 34 off Moni in the 13th over. However, Harmanpreet’s wicket was caught lbw when left-arm spinner Nahida Akter went across for a sweep shot. It triggered a mini-collapse as India went from 122 for 6 to 124 for 5.
After a few quiet overs, Ghosh injected some momentum into the innings, hitting an unbeaten 28 off 17 balls off the tee and hitting three fours and a six over the bowler’s head to take India well beyond Bangladesh’s reach. Helped us get over 150.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo.
