During the team’s final group match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wrote history. During the match against Ireland Women at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha, Harmanpreet became the first player in history, male or female, to play in 150 T20Is.
Suzie Bates of New Zealand is second on this list behind Harmanpreet with 143 appearances in T20Is. Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, is the most active player in men’s cricket, having made 148 games since his T20I debut in 2007. In the T20 World Cup match against the West Indies, Harmanpreet tied Rohit’s record; last week, against England, she broke it.
“It means a lot, I got an emotional message from my teammates. Thanks to BCCI and ICC, we are able to play so many games,” Harmanpreet was quoted as saying at the toss.
Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co showed tremendous mental fortitude to fend off Ireland in their must-win match. Smriti Mandhana played a fine knock to propel India to a respectable 155 for six at the end of their innings. The southpaw smashed her best T20I score of 87 in windy conditions. Mandhana’s blistering knock was laced with nine 4s and three sixes. Chasing 156 runs, Ireland were 54 for two from 8.2 overs, with Gaby Lewis 32 not out, when the match was abandoned due to rain. Ireland were five runs behind the DLS par-score of 59 when rain ended play. With three victories from four matches, India have now qualified for the knockouts along with England.
