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With pace and movement in her sensational debut performance, Marufa Akter leads Bangladesh to a 40-run win over India
NEW DELHI: India suffered their first-ever loss against Bangladesh in Women’s One-Day Internationals as Marufa Akter’s fiery bowling helped the hosts record a historic 40-run win in Mirpur on Sunday.
After Amanjot Kaur’s impressive four-wicket haul restricted Bangladesh to 152, Marufa’s devastating spell dismantled the Indian batting lineup, resulting in their dismissal for a mere 113 runs in the rain-curtailed match, where India’s target was revised to 154 from 44 overs.
Marufa’s exceptional performance included two early breakthroughs and successive wickets in the middle overs, culminating in her finishing with four wickets in her debut ODI on home soil.
Her high pace and movement left India struggling to chase down the target. Legspinner Rabeya Khan also contributed with three wickets to secure the victory for Bangladesh.
India’s chase got off to a positive start with Smriti Mandhana hitting boundaries, but Marufa struck back by dismissing Mandhana with an impressive diving catch by wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana.
The Indian batting lineup struggled against Marufa’s pace, while Nigar kept the pressure on with spin from the other end. The slow pitch also played a role as India lost crucial wickets, including those of Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues.
Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur provided some resistance and raised hopes for India with a 30-run partnership. However, Marufa’s return to the attack led to Amanjot’s dismissal, followed by the collapse of India’s lower order. The Bangladesh bowlers tightened their grip on the game, dismissing the remaining batsmen to seal a memorable victory.
Earlier in the match, rain delayed the start, and Amanjot Kaur’s impressive bowling restricted Bangladesh to 152. Sharmin Akter’s run-out and wickets from Amanjot and Devika Vaidya hindered Bangladesh’s progress, with Fargana Hoque and Nigar Sultana providing some stability. However, regular dot balls and the loss of wickets disrupted their momentum.
BRIEF SCORE: Bangladesh 152 in 43 overs (Nigar Sultana 39, Fargana Haque 27; Amanjot Kaur 4/31, Devika Vaidya 2/36) beat India 113 in 35.5 overs (Deepti Sharma 20, Amanjot Kaur 15, Yastika Bhatia 15; Marufa Akter 4/29, Rabeya Khan 3/30) by 40 runs via DLS method
