Navi Mumbai: On a day when most of India’s bowlers went for plenty, the youngest player in the squad, Shree Charani -- the bandanna- wearing left-arm orthodox spinner from Andhra Pradesh -- held her own. At the innings break, the 21-year-old’s spell of 10-0-49-2 had given India the slightest of hopes but in a knockout game of fine margins, it was all Harmanpreet and Co needed.
From being 180/1 in the 28th over before the destructive Phoebe Litchfield was dismissed, Australia were slowed to reach 234/4 after 38. The defending champions picked up pace at the back end to finish on 338, but by Litchfield’s own admission of the thinking in the change room at the innings break, they had “left some runs behind”.
Those runs came back to bite them and Charani was the main reason why.
With senior spinner Deepti Sharma having an off day and the experienced off-spinner Sneh Rana sitting out, Charani had no problems finding her length and mixed in some subtle changes of pace too. Even when Litchfield was playing with the field with her 360 degree play, Charani was unaffected, her figures at that stage reading 5-0-25-0.
As soon as the Australian rising batting star left the scene, India’s bowler with the most promise in the tournament doubled up on her impact by getting among the wickets.
{{/usCountry}}As soon as the Australian rising batting star left the scene, India’s bowler with the most promise in the tournament doubled up on her impact by getting among the wickets.
{{/usCountry}}In the 33rd over, Charani had Beth Mooney (24) caught at covers with a tossed up left-arm spinner’s delivery. Very soon in the 36th over, a classic caught and bowled followed to send Annabel Sutherland (3) back.
Those twin breakthroughs were instrumental in applying the brakes on the scoring rate. With able support from the other end, India were able to exert pressure on Ellyse Perry at the other end. Invariably, she perished around the same time in the 40th over for 77. The redoubtable Ash Gardner wrested some of the initiative back but what was lost was lost.
Bowling at an economy of 4.91 in a high scoring tournament, she has been the most difficult of India’s spinners to get away. Picking up 13 wickets, the most productive of all Indian bowlers too after Deepti. Considering India played a lot of matches in the tournament without a sixth bowler, that’s a top notch performance. Especially for someone playing her first World Cup. Why just that with limited WPL exposure too - one season where she featured in only two matches for Delhi Capitals.
Known for bowling quicker through the air, she was able to slow down her pace ever so slightly when it mattered. The slightest margins of difference and ability to time your performances are after all the hallmarks of a big match player and Charani was able to do that against the mighty Australians.
The multiple-time champions going back home will remember how they were humbled by their chief tormentor Harmanpreet Kaur. They will remember how the pocket batting dynamo from Mumbai, Jemimah Rodrigues, shocked them with her finest innings. But perhaps they will find it hardest to erase the stingy spell from the Kadappa girl.