Vaishnavi Sharma’s incredible five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, powered India to their second win in the ongoing Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. After dominating West Indies in the opener, India crushed Malaysia by 10 wickets to secure back-to-back victories.
Vaishnavi was named Player of the Match and thanked her parents during the post-match presentation. She revealed that she had visualised this kind of performance before the game and was delighted to execute her plans successfully. Her strategy was simple: bowling wicket-to-wicket and adapting to the conditions, which helped her achieve LBW and bowled dismissals. Vaishnavi also shared that Radha Yadav, the senior Indian spinner, is her idol.
In 2022, Vaishnavi was the leading wicket-taker in domestic cricket and received the Dalmiya Award for 2022-23 from the BCCI. She hails from the Gwalior-Chambal region and is the first female cricketer from the area to represent India in a World Cup. Before this tournament, she helped the Madhya Pradesh senior team win the Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy, claiming five wickets in three matches, including two in the final against Bengal. Her current teammate, Aayushi Shukla, was also part of that squad.
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After winning the toss, India’s captain Niki Prasad chose to bowl, confirming Vaishnavi’s inclusion in place of Sonam Yadav, who went wicketless in the last match. Niki opened the bowling with pacers Shabnam Shakil and Joshitha VJ. Joshitha struck first, and a run-out left Malaysia at 13/2 in four overs. The spin trio of Aayushi, Parunika Sisodia, and Vaishnavi then took over.
Vaishnavi, on her debut, was outstanding. She finished with figures of five wickets for just five runs in four overs, including a maiden. Aayushi also impressed, taking three wickets for eight runs in 3.3 overs, while Parunika went wicketless in her three overs. Malaysia were bowled out for just 31 runs in 14.3 overs. The Indian spinners collectively picked up eight wickets for 18 runs in 10.3 overs.
India’s openers, Gongadi Trisha (27* off 12) and G Kamalini (4* off 5), made quick work of the chase, finishing the match in just 2.5 overs. This marked the second-fastest chase in tournament history as India sealed a 10-wicket win. With this victory, the defending champions sit atop the table with four points and a superior net run rate of +9.148.
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