"No pitch no party for Bangladesh?" - Fans react as India roll Bangladesh over for 51 to qualify for women's final of Asian Games 2022

A chanceless performance saw India dispatch Bangladesh by eight wickets in the women's semi-final of the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou. The result assures India of a silver medal at the very least as they book a spot in the final.

India's fast bowlers were the chief architects of this performance. Bangladesh's decision to bat first upon winning the toss fell flat on their face as they were skittled out for a paltry 51, with Pooja Vastrakar snaring four wickets.

It was a smooth chase thereafter as the Women in Blue romped home with 70 deliveries to spare with Jemimah Rodrigues remaining unbeaten on 20.

Fans were undoubtedly left in awe of the team's performance as they woke up to a pleasant Sunday morning's action.

Pooja Vastrakar and Titas Sadhu lead India's demolition of Bangladesh in the Asian Games 2022

Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana opted to bat first upon winning the toss in the first semi-final against India at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou. The moment Pooja Vastrakar removed Shathi Rani off the first ball of the innings though, it was a sign of doom for the batters.

Wickets tumbled like ninepins with Bangladesh losing four wickets in the powerplay as Vastrakar snared three of those. Debutant Titas Sadhu, who was a member of India's U19 World Cup winning squad earlier this year, bagged her first wicket by castling Shorna Akter.

Skipper Nigar was the only batter to reach double-digits as she finished with 12 runs off 17 deliveries before her team went crashing down for 51 in 17.5 overs.

In response, Smriti Mandhana perished for just seven runs before Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues steadied the ship thereafter. Shafali was bowled for 17 before Rodrigues and Kanika Ahuja were there to see their team past the finish line.

The Women in Blue now await the winner of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka semifinal clash with the final to be played on Monday, September 25.

Regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is set to return for the summit clash having served her two-match suspension following her outburst in the Bangladesh series in July.

Can India go all the way and clinch their first-ever gold medal in cricket at the Asian Games? Have your say in the comments section below!

About the author

Sooryanarayanan started off as a non-contracted text commentator at Sportskeeda 3 years ago and is today, the Cricket Commentary Manager. An MBA degree holder, a burning passion for the sport eventually led him to take it up professionally. He also writes insightful Feature pieces from time to time.

Sooryanarayanan sees cricket as a reflection of life’s ebbs and flows, and believes that the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy perfectly showcased it via the determination, courage and the never-give-up attitude displayed on field. He is a staunch Team India supporter and believes that the team has a very bright future. He admires MS Dhoni for how he approaches the sport and life as they come, being unfazed by both victory and defeat.

Sooryanarayanan tries to stick to facts and relies heavily on numerical data to present them. Keeping an objective and neutral view is one of his biggest reporting strengths, along with conducting thorough research and verifying all facts. His exploits in his field have led him to interview some star cricketers like Rovman Powell, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Peter Hatzoglou, and more.

When not immersed in Cricket, Sooryanarayanan loves to watch movies and web series, which helps him to focus better when he’s back to work.

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