Shafali Verma and Co. scripted history on Sunday as the Indian women's team defeated England in the final of the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. Fresh from getting the better of New Zealand in the semi-finals, Shafali-led Team India squared off against England, who had outclassed Australia to punch its ticket for the inaugural Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup final in South Africa.
Winning the toss and opting to bowl first in the U-19 Women's World Cup final, Shafali-led Team India bowled out England for a paltry total of 68 in 17.1 overs. Titas Sadhu (2), Archana Devi (2) and Parshavi Chopra (2) shared six wickets while Mannat Kashyap, Shafali and Sonam Yadav bagged a wicket each as a spirited Indian side turned the summit clash into a low-scoring contest at Potchefstroom.
For the crestfallen England side, middle-order batter Ryana Macdonald Gay scored 19 off 24 balls while mediocre knocks from Alexa Stonehouse (11) and Sophia Smale (11) lifted the European giants to a below-par total. Even though England had successfully defended a low-scoring total (99) against arch-rivals Australia in the semi-finals, the Lionesses failed to thwart India's bid in the historic final as the Shafali-starrer side completed the run-chase in just 13.5 overs to become the first-ever U-19 Women's T20 World Cup winners at the Senwes Park. Despite losing skipper Shafali (15) and opener Shweta Sehrawat (5) for cheap, India chased down the mediocre total to hand England a 7-wicket defeat in the final.
{{/usCountry}}For the crestfallen England side, middle-order batter Ryana Macdonald Gay scored 19 off 24 balls while mediocre knocks from Alexa Stonehouse (11) and Sophia Smale (11) lifted the European giants to a below-par total. Even though England had successfully defended a low-scoring total (99) against arch-rivals Australia in the semi-finals, the Lionesses failed to thwart India's bid in the historic final as the Shafali-starrer side completed the run-chase in just 13.5 overs to become the first-ever U-19 Women's T20 World Cup winners at the Senwes Park. Despite losing skipper Shafali (15) and opener Shweta Sehrawat (5) for cheap, India chased down the mediocre total to hand England a 7-wicket defeat in the final.
{{/usCountry}}A look back at India's historic campaign in U-19 Women's T20 World Cup
Under the leadership of superstar Shafali, Team India topped Group D by upstaging South Africa, UAE and Scotland at the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup. India had suffered a defeat at the hands of Australia in the Super 6 Round of the showpiece event. However, the Women In Blue bounced back from the defeat by registering a convincing win over Sri Lanka. India's massive win over Sri Lanka paved the way for Shafali and Co. to secure their berth in the semi-finals. Indian spinners and opener Sehrawat then sealed India's 7-wicket win over New Zealand in the semi-finals of the showpiece event.
Sehrawat, who finished the tournament as the leading run-getter showcased a rare batting failure in the final against England. After Sehrawat's departure, India's Soumya Tiwari took the onus to take the Women In Blue over the finish line in the final. Soumya's crucial knock (24* off 37 balls) guided India to a comfortable win over England in the final of the inaugural Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup. This is also the first time that the Indian women’s team has won a World Cup title at any level.