Nigar Sultana Joty’s heart must have known what the repercussions would be. Bangladesh’s captain had just given Shafali Verma a life on the fourth ball of Marufa Akter’s first over, failing to hold on to a diving catch that could have set the tone for Bangladesh’s defence of their modest total of 136. Instead, she watched from behind the stumps as the right-hander made her side pay for the reprieve. Shafali blazed her way to 53 off 34 balls, taking the attack to Bangladesh and ensuring India never allowed the required rate to climb. Her innings laid the foundation for a nervy five-wicket victory in Manchester that kept India’s semifinal hopes alive ahead of Sunday’s must-win clash with Australia at Lord’s. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team is in second place on the group table, with six points and a net run rate of +2.268. Shafali signalled her intent almost immediately, thumping Marufa over extra cover for four before clearing her front leg to launch Shanjida Akter Meghla over long-on for a 75-metre six. Boundaries through the offside followed with regularity as Bangladesh’s bowlers repeatedly erred in length. Harmanpreet Kaur in action. (AP photo) Shafali was particularly severe on anything overpitched, driving fluently through cover and extra cover, while width was punished with a series of crisp cuts. Her assault helped India race to 63/1 by the end of the Powerplay, effectively putting the chase on cruise control. The Rohtak girl brought up her fifty off just 29 balls with another authoritative cut through extra cover. Her innings ended when she overbalanced while facing Nahida Akter and was stumped, but the damage had already been done. Yastika Bhatia, again promoted to number three, made a steady 23, but with an eye on the net run rate, India promoted Richa Ghosh at number four. The promotion did not give the desired result, as the wicketkeeper-batter fell LBW for 10 to Rabeya Khan. It took a fifth-wicket stand of 30 runs between Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet to help India cross the line in a match that nevertheless exposed lingering concerns about their ability to put together a complete performance.Story continues below this ad Fielding concerns remain India’s victory, however, did little to mask what had transpired in the field during the first innings. India’s fielding woes, which proved costly against South Africa on Sunday, showed no signs of easing against Bangladesh. Having spilt two crucial chances in that defeat, they endured an even more forgettable start here, dropping four catches inside the first five overs. Juairiya Ferdous was handed three reprieves. The first came when Yastika, running in from short fine leg, could only get a fingertip to a top-edged sweep. Radha Yadav then put down a far more straightforward chance at deep midwicket, failing to cling on despite getting both hands to the ball. Juairiya’s luck continued when Nandini Sharma spilled a diving chance at short third after covering good ground to reach a skier. One ball earlier, she had failed to hold on to a drive from Sobhana Mostary, who survived on one after a chance went down at cover. India’s Harmanpreet Kaur looks on during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match between India and South Africa, at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday June 21, 2026. (Nigel French/PA via AP) The errors handed Bangladesh an early foothold. Juairiya made the most of her luck with 33, while Mostary chipped in with 22. Joty then ensured Bangladesh capitalised on the platform, scoring 32 to give her team a chance.Story continues below this ad Renuka Singh Thakur, playing her first game of the tournament, provided the breakthrough in the Powerplay when she dismissed Dilara Akter. But India’s biggest strength in the competition – the spin duo of Deepti Sharma and Sree Charani – failed to exert their usual control. Bangladesh’s batters negotiated the pair smartly, rotating strike regularly and refusing to offer chances. Deepti finished wicketless, conceding 23 runs from her four overs, while Charani had to wait until the final over to claim her two wickets. By dismissing Shorna Akter, she eclipsed Poonam Yadav’s tally of 10 wickets in the 2020 tournament to become India’s most successful bowler in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Radha, drafted in for Prema Rawat, made up for her earlier dropped catch with figures of 3/28. Overall, however, India’s bowling and fielding left a lot to be desired. The dropped chances gifted Bangladesh early momentum, while a string of misfields allowed them to build steadily towards a competitive score and keep India under pressure throughout the innings. Brief Scores: Bangladesh 136/8 in 20 overs (Juairiya Ferdous 33, Nigar Sultana Joty 32; Radha Yadav 3/28) lost to India 139/5 in 16.5 overs (Shafali Verma 53, Jemimah Rodrigues 26) by five wickets.
India beat Bangladesh but concerns remain ahead of must-win game vs Australia
