5 players who stood out for India at the Women's U19 T20 World Cup
Team India won the first edition of the Women's U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa this year. Under the leadership of international star Shafali Verma, they beat England Women in the final by seven wickets at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
India lost just one game in the tournament - against Australia in the group stage. They have had an extremely dominant performance in all major aspects of the game. Let's take a look at the 5 standout players for India in their successful campaign in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
#1 Shweta Sehrawat
Opener Shweta Sehrawat was easily the best batter of the tournament. She finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament, scoring 297 runs in 7 innings at an average of 99 and a strike rate of 139.
Her best performance came against South Africa in India's opening game of the U19 World Cup. She scored a belligerent 92 off 57 deliveries in a stiff run-chase of 170, guiding the team home with 7 wickets and 21 balls to spare. She also stepped up against New Zealand in the all-important semi-final.
#2 Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma is one of the most talented T20 batters on the Indian circuit. She was only 16 when India made it to the final of the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup, and has improved her game ever since. As captain, she played a very crucial role in this tournament as a leader as well as with the bat and ball.
Verma scored 172 runs in 7 innings at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 194, finishing as the 3rd highest run-getter of the tournament. She also chipped in with the ball, bowling leg spin. Her best performance of the tournament came against South Africa when she made a quick-fire 45 off 16 balls in a run-chase of 170.
#3 Parshavi Chopra
Right-arm leg spinner Parshavi Chopra finished as the 2nd highest wicket-taker of the tournament. She has taken 11 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 7 and an economy rate of just 3.66 runs per over.
Chopra did not have a single bad performance throughout the course of the mega event. She was the Player of the Match against New Zealand in the semi-finals, returning with figures of 3/20 in 4 overs. She followed it up with another clutch performance in the final with 2/13 in 4 overs.
#4 Mannat Kashyap
Punjabi all-rounder Mannat Kashyap was India's second-best bowler in the tournament. The left-arm orthodox spinner took 9 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 10.33 and an economy rate of 4.65.
Much like the other spinners in her team, she also did not have a single bad performance with the ball. However, she was a stand-out against Scotland, returning with figures of 4/12 in 4 overs, heloing India successfully defend a target of 150.
#5 Archana Devi
Right-arm off-spinner Archana Devi was easily one of the best spinners in the entire tournament. It is never easy to adapt on South African soil as a spinner, and she did that in some style. She took 8 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 13.12 and an economy rate of 4.77, keeping things tight for the opposition batters.
Her best performance came against England in the final, as she crucially dismissed England captain Grace Scrivens and Niamh Holland within the Powerplay.