India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had a bit of a scare on Sunday during their 6-wicket win over Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai.
Kaur was cruising on 29*, just two runs away from sealing the victory, when a close call at the crease almost had her stumped by Pakistan’s wicketkeeper. She scrambled back in time but tweaked her neck in the process.
Instead of pushing through, Kaur opted to retire hurt and walked off holding her neck.
Sajana then joined Deepti Sharma at the crease, and it was Sajana who knocked the winning four to wrap things up for India.
The win keeps India’s World Cup hopes alive after their tough loss to New Zealand earlier in the week.
But here’s the catch: India’s cautious approach during the chase didn’t help their Net Run Rate (NRR), which might be a big deal when it comes to making the semis.
Despite the win, India’s NRR is sitting at -1.217, while Pakistan is ahead with a -0.555 NRR, holding onto third place.
Now, India has to not only win but win big in their upcoming matches against Australia and Sri Lanka if they want to keep their semi-final dreams alive.
With only five boundaries in the entire innings and the top order struggling to get going, India will need to switch gears fast if they want to stay in contention.
