India all but guaranteed themselves a semi-final spot in the Women’s Asia Cup with a convincing win by 77 runs over UAE. This match saw India’s middle order get a much-needed hit out, and their bowlers were given plenty of mileage. Harmanpreet Kaur led the charge with a top score of 66, but it was Richa Ghosh‘s sensational late acceleration that stole the show. Ghosh’s unbeaten 29-ball 64 helped India post their first-ever score of 200-plus in T20Is, setting a formidable target for UAE.

Middle-order resurgence by Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur

India were put in to bat and faced early setbacks with their marauding openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, among others, dismissed early. At 52 for 3 inside the powerplay, the opportunity was UAE’s to seize. D Hemalatha, who has struggled to make the No. 3 spot her own, was dismissed for 2, leaving India wobbling. Her continued lean run could prompt the team management to consider reinstating Jemimah Rodrigues at No. 3. Rodrigues made 14 in a 54-run stand with Harmanpreet before being dismissed in her first attempt to hit over the top.

Harmanpreet, on the other hand, was content to knock singles and twos early on but upped the tempo soon after the halfway mark. She brought out a range of sweeps that found different arcs on the leg-side boundary, demonstrating her ability to hit effectively against the turn. Meanwhile, Richa Ghosh made heads turn with her aesthetically pleasing cover drives and lofted hits, showing that her game isn’t just about power. She was particularly severe on Esha Oza‘s gentle long hops, hitting four boundaries in one over. Ghosh’s aggressive batting, coupled with Harmanpreet’s well-paced innings, helped India to a massive total.

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UAE’s Struggles and Bright Spots

UAE hardly posed a challenge during the chase. Despite a decent start by Oza and Kavisha Egodage, who scored 36 and 40 not out respectively, UAE’s chase fizzled out in the powerplay. Theertha Satish took nine balls to get off the mark and was the first to fall in the fifth over. Pooja Vastrakar claimed her first wicket shortly after, and Oza, despite holding firm, became debutant Tanuja Kanwar‘s first international wicket. Kanwar, who impressed in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) for Gujarat Giants, finished with figures of 4-0-14-1, capping off a dream debut.UAE’s total of more than 115/8 was an improvement over their previous performances and should be a confidence booster. Despite the loss, UAE isn’t mathematically out of the semi-finals race.

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.