With a straightforward victory against UAE, where their bowlers amassed plenty of mileage and their middle order had a much-needed hit out, India all but confirmed their place in the semi-finals.
India achieved their first-ever total of 200+ in Twenty20 Internationals thanks to a remarkable late acceleration by Richa Ghosh, who smashed an undefeated 64 off just 29 balls. Harmanpreet Kaur led the way with 66.

Even though skipper Esha Oza and batsman Kavisha Egodage both played well, hitting 36 and 40 not out, respectively, UAE rarely presented a threat. It should give the UAE greater confidence because they scored more than the 115 for 8 they were able to face Nepal, a team rated lower.
UAE is still mathematically alive to compete in the semi-finals despite the setback. Pakistan should survive if they defeat Nepal in the evening match.
India wobble early
When India was included, they weren’t very unhappy. The possibility of their rampaging openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, stealing the show once more lingered. But the UAE had the chance to take advantage of it at 52 for 3 within the powerplay.
D Hemalatha would have been especially sad to have lost out on another chance to claim the No. 3 slot among those who fell early. The highest score in nine innings since the Bangladesh tour, where she scored an undefeated 41 on her maiden visit, is still that of that position.
She was dismissed two nights ago against Pakistan, after the openers had hammered 85 in 9.3 overs, with a lofted smash to point for 14. It was a low-pressure chase. With the platform set, the openers here were up and away early; India reached fifty in five overs. However, India’s momentarily faltered following Hemalatha’s dismissal for 2 after being bowled while trying to take off Heena Hotchandani.
India had to rearrange Jemimah Rodrigues’ batting position since she has developed a reputation as a touch player, as a result of Hemalatha batting at No. 3. With their lower-order firepower at their disposal, Hemalatha’s lean run may eventually force the club management to reinstate Rodrigues at No. 3.
In her initial effort to knock over the top on Sunday, Rodrigues made just 14 of the 54 runs she shared with Harmanpreet before getting out at mid-off.

Harmanpreet, Richa up the tempo
Harmanpreet was content to score singles and twos at the beginning, but she quickly picked up the pace when she was joined by legspinner Vaishnavee Mahesh for consecutive fours just beyond the midway point. When she tried to move a leading edge into the leg side on 31, she received a stroke of luck when it landed short of the backward point.
Despite this, Harmanpreet appeared determined to see the entire innings through. She unleashed her arsenal of sweeps along the way, finding arcs on the leg-side boundary that varied from deep backward square to broad long-on.
The beauty of Harmanpeet’s sweeps is that, when she’s hitting well, she can eliminate the bowlers and pitch from the picture. This is mostly because to her enormous forward stride and her ability to consistently stay on front of the bounce.
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