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'Yuvraj Singh of women cricket' - Fans applaud Shafali Verma for taking 3 wickets in last over to give India unassailable 2-0 lead in T20I series against Bangladesh

Shafali Verma's last over brilliance helped India Women beat Bangladesh Women in second T20I and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

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Rohit Kumar
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India Women

India Women (Source: Twitter)

A spirited effort by the bowlers helped India Women register a thrilling 8-run victory over Bangladesh Women in the second T20I at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday, July 11. Having already won the first match, India has now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series with a commendable performance against the Bengal Tigers.

India were keen to take wickets from the beginning following a poor batting effort in which they scored only 95 runs in 20 overs. But they got off to a poor start as Pooja Vastrakar conceded 10 runs in the first over. However, Minnu Mani gave India their first breakthrough by dismissing Shamima Sultana in the second over. From then onwards the Women in Blue tightened their screws and made it hard for the Bangladesh batters.

India fought back strongly and ended up restricting the opponents to 30-4. However, Bangla skipper Nigar Sultana's (38 off 55 balls) lone fight created tension in the Indian camp as she almost took the game away from India. But her dismissal in the 19th over turned the table as Shafali Verma proved to be a game changer.

The game reached the brink of a thriller with 10 runs required off the last over. India opening batter Verma picked up three wickets while conceding just 1 run. Though India will be upset with their performance – weak batting and dropped catches – they will be pleased with their never give up mentality.

Bangladesh spinners demolish Indian batting order

Earlier, winning the toss and opting to bat first, openers Verma and Smriti Mandhana stitched a stand of 33 in just 4.1 overs. However, things completely changed when the partnership was broken by Nahida Akter. Bangladesh spinners tore through the Indian batting line-up, with Sultana Khatun and Fahima Khatun sharing five wickets each. Akter and Rabeya Khan were economical and shared one wicket each.

Speaking after the match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised the girls effort in the second innings. "It is a part of the game, sometimes your plan does not work but in the second innings we showed our character. Got to give credit to all our bowlers, they were bowling under pressure but they did well and also the fielders," she said.

Here's how fans reacted: 

India Bangladesh