Bangladesh Women vs India Women Match 23 Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma are the two openers for India Women. Marufa Akter to start proceedings with the ball. Here we go..

... THE RUN CHASE ...

A mixed day in the field - India Women had a mixed outing in the field, dropping four catches inside the first five overs and conceding 10 extras in total, allowing Bangladesh a few opportunities to build partnerships. However, the bowlers did an excellent job of keeping the scoring in check at the death. Radha Yadav led the way with a fine three-wicket haul, while Renuka Singh provided the early breakthrough and Nandni Sharma chipped in with a wicket. Sree Charani then produced an excellent double-wicket final over, a spell that also saw her become India's highest wicket-taker in a single Women's T20 World Cup. Bangladesh defended 123 against Pakistan Women earlier in the tournament, but can they do it again with 136 on the board? A fascinating chase awaits.

A measured effort with the bat - Despite losing an early wicket, Bangladesh Women never pressed the panic button. Juairiya Ferdous and Sobhana Mostary steadied the innings beautifully with a crucial 51-run partnership, laying the foundation for a competitive total. Captain Nigar Sultana then kept the momentum going with a fluent 32 off 27 deliveries, while Shorna Akter and Ritu Moni provided some late fireworks. However, Bangladesh may feel they left a few runs out there, with the final five overs not quite yielding the finish they would have hoped for.

Tigresses throw down the gauntlet - Bangladesh Women have given themselves a real chance with a spirited batting effort, posting 136/8, their highest-ever total batting first in a Women's T20 World Cup. They were smart with their shot selection and made India Women work hard in the field, with the latter guilty of several costly errors. Crucially, Sree Charani's superb final over, which yielded just three runs and two wickets, may yet prove decisive.

Who will face the last ball of the innings? It will be Marufa Akter.

Nahida Akter walks out to bat now.

Sree Charani to bowl the final over. Can she keep Bangladesh Women under 140 here?

The next batter in is Rabeya Khan.

Radha Yadav to bowl the penultimate over. Also, Bangladesh Women have decided to retire out Sharmin Akhter and bring in Ritu Moni for her boundary-hitting ability.

Sharmin Akhter has not recovered from the injury suffered and won't be able to participate any more with the bat. As it stands, Sharmin Akhter is retired out.

All done in Manchester - The focus now shifts to Bristol for the second game of the day, where the Netherlands take on South Africa. The Dutch have won the toss and opted to bowl first. You can switch tabs and join us there for all the action. Cheers!

The skipper of India Women - Harmanpreet Kaur says that it is a good win. Adds that they wanted to finish it earlier, but still, they got the job done with 2-3 overs to spare. Mentions that fielding is very important, and they are trying to improve but they dropped a few catches in this game. She says they hope to put in a much better fielding performance in the next game. While the team boasts some of the best fielders around, occasional off days are part of the sport. She adds that the focus remains on working hard, taking plenty of catches in training, and ensuring they are in the right positions on the field. Looking ahead, she acknowledges that Australia are one of the toughest opponents they can face. With every game in the tournament carrying huge importance, she believes the team must produce its very best. She feels a win over Australia would provide a massive confidence boost, much like their victory in Navi Mumbai, which helped break barriers and instilled belief within the group.

The captain of Bangladesh Women - Nigar Sultana says they created plenty of chances but failed to take them and allowed India to take the game away. She feels they bowled well but reckons they finished 15-20 runs short with the bat. When asked about the chat during the second drinks break, she says that they believed anything was possible if they kept bowling in the right areas and created opportunities. Believes that success is not just about results and is pleased with how the team continues to grow day by day. Looking ahead, she says playing at Lord's will be a special occasion and hopes Bangladesh can create lasting memories there.

Time to hear from the two captains...

Recap of the first innings - Earlier, India were untidy in the field, to say the least, putting down as many as four catches in the first five overs of the innings. Bangladesh found boundaries hard to come by, but to their credit, they ran hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking. Useful contributions from Juairiya Ferdous, captain Nigar Sultana and the rest of the batting unit helped them battle their way to 136.

Not all smooth sailing - A strong start was important for India after their sloppy effort in the field, and Shafali Verma ensured there were no early nerves by getting off the blocks quickly and taking control of the chase. She was handed an early reprieve when Nigar Sultana dropped her on 4, and Bangladesh were made to pay. One wonders how differently the chase might have unfolded had the captain held on to that chance. After Shafali's dismissal, India's middle order made much harder work of the chase than they would have liked. There were signs of a batting unit still searching for confidence, particularly with some hesitant running between the wickets.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Shafali Verma has been given the award for her impressive knock of 53 runs from 34 balls. Shafali says that she is very happy with the way she batted in this game. Adds that she would be happier if she stayed unbeaten, but it was good to grab some runs. Mentions that she tried to put the bad balls away, but also rotated strike and played on the merit of the ball. Shafali shares that she was sad with the way she got out. Says that she has been bowling with new and old balls in the nets and credits skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for giving her good fields and showing confidence in her.

India get the job done - It was far from a convincing win, but India will gladly take the two points. Their attention now turns to a must-win clash against Australia. Bangladesh, meanwhile, deserve credit for the way they hung in the game after India flew out of the blocks. They must now beat South Africa in their final group game and hope India lose to Australia to have any chance of reaching the semifinals. Even then, their inferior net run rate leaves them with a mountain to climb.

Deepti Sharma is in next.

DRINKS! Bangladesh Women have pulled things back in the last couple of overs, but one would feel that India Women are still ahead in this chase. With the experienced pair of Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur out there, India will be confident that they will get over the line, but Bangladesh Women almost broke this stand and know that a couple of quick wickets and things will get interesting here. Also, Sanjida Akter Meghla to bowl after the break.