- Shamser Khalid
India's Semi-Final Loss Sparks Social Media
India's journey ends with heartbreak after a 5-run loss against Australia in the 2023 ICC T20 Women's World Cup semi-finals. Given their powerful performances in the World Cup and the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup, there was an explosion of reactions and responses on social media.
Posts from Cricket Legends and Officials
Among the many responses to the India VS Australia semi-finals were people who sent messages of support following the loss. One of them was former Indian opener Virender Sehwag.
The former player's post read, 'Tough luck Team India. #HarmanpreetKaur & #JemimahRodrigues looked like taking the game away, but the Aussies fought back brilliantly & in the end, India have fallen short. Harmanpreet’s runout was the turning point & India will be disappointed to miss out on the finals. #INDWvAUSW"
VVS Laxman was another cricket legend that made a post about the game. He commended the teams' performance in the semi-final match and lamented India's disappointment with the loss.
Secretary of the BCCI, Jay Shah, who was in attendance at the semi-final match, also made a post and commended the team for their efforts in the game.
His post read: "A tough loss for @BCCIWomen against Australia in the #ICCWomensT20WorldCup, but we couldn't be prouder of our girls for their spirit on the field. The team gave it their all & showed that they are true warriors. We stand with you, Women in Blue! #INDWvsAUSW."
What Happened in the Match?
Australia had won the toss and chose to bat. By the end of Australia's innings, India was at a rough start, chasing a target of 173.
Even before the end of the powerplay, they lost three wickets. Australia's Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner bowled out several formidable batters for single-run scores and had India at 15/2 in 2.2 overs.
India reached the 50-run mark in 5.1 overs. During the remainder of the powerplay, Harmanpreet Kaur (28*) and Jemimah (25*) turned things around for the team. When things were looking up for the team Darcie Brown stepped up and dismissed formidable players from the field.
Harmanpreet came through when it counted the most, making a comeback in style and scoring her 10th T20I half-century in just 32 balls, including six boundaries and a maximum.
Unfortunately, it was not enough in the end, and India was unable to reach the 16 runs they needed in the final innings. At the end of the match India had a total of 167/8 and lost by 5 runs.
Harmanpreet Kaur's Post-Match Statements
In the post-match interviews, the team captain lamented their performance and spoke of her regrets about the match.
While she reflected on the team's performance, she also credited Jemimah Rodrigues for her performance which saw her score a quick-fire 43 off 24. In the end, she admitted that the team was poor on the field.
"We gave those easy catches away. Got to take those when you want to win. We misfielded. We can only learn from these lessons and not repeat the mistakes," she concluded.
