India pip Bangladesh in spin battle to take series

Bangladesh lost their last five wickets in the space of eight deliveries to fall eight short of India's 95, giving India an unbeatable 2-0 series lead in the T20I series being played in Dhaka.

Deepti Sharma and Minnu Mani spun a web around Bangladesh, with the two offspinners combining for five wickets, before Shafali Verma bowled an excellent last over with the game still in the balance.

India escaped the blushes after posting only 95 for 8, their lowest total in T20Is against Bangladesh.

In the chase, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana threatened to take the game away from India, with a responsible 55-ball 38, but was dismissed in the penultimate over with the team needing ten off eight balls.

Shafali then picked up three wickets in the final over - which also featured a run-out - to finish the game.

Overall, there were 35 overs of spin bowled in the match - the joint-second-highest in a women's T20I, and 16 wickets fell to spinners.

When Harmanpreet Kaur decided to bat first, she conceded that the team was looking to post 150 and defend it with spin, with the game being played on the same track as the first T20I. However, from having an opening stand of 33 in just 4.1 overs, India suffered a batting collapse and then huffed and puffed to 95 for 8.

Varma started aggressively, hitting three fours in a row off pacer Marufa Akther - the only seamer used by Banglades. Then just when Smriti Mandhana seemed to get going, with a four each in the fourth and fifth overs, she fell to Nahida Akther's slow left-arm spin, missing the length looking for a slog sweep. One down became three down in the final over of the powerplay when offspinner Sultana Khatun dismissed Shafali and Harmanpreet in two successive balls. She then picked up the wicket of Harleen Deol to end with 3 for 21. Fahima Khatun, meanwhile, returned 2 for 16.

India toiled for runs throughout the game - there was not a single boundary from overs six to 13 - with Bangladesh spinners utilising their familiarity of conditions to tie the visitors down. Jemimah Rodrigues and Deol consumed 21 balls each to increase the tempo but couldn't reach double digits. Amanjot Kaur, at No.8, notched up two boundaries in her 17-ball 14 to somewhat lift India.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, were also excellent in the field, evident when Shorna Akther took a low running catch to remove Yastika Bhatia and then when Sobana Mostary back-pedaled to take a stunning catch to send Amanjot back.

On a 'spin to win' surface, Harmanpreet used five spinners, including part-timers Rodrigues and Shafali to exert pressure. Overall, India bowled 19 overs of spin, with Pooja Vastrakar bowling just the solitary over. Minnu, playing her second international game, bowled four overs on the trot, including a maiden to finish with outstanding figures of 2 for 9. She removed opener Shamima Sultana in the second over of the chase, with a full delivery outside off stump, inducing a top edge to short fine leg. Ritu Moni became her second victim when she trapped her lbw, in the eighth.

With the experienced Deepti operating too, India kept a lid on Bangladesh with regular wickets. Deepti scalped two and conceded just eight runs from her first three overs before taking the big wicket of Nigar in her final over.

Barring Nigar, Bangladesh struggled to find runs easily. Nigar was calculative in her innings, to just rotate the strike and keep the scorecard ticking. Having lost four early wickets, she stitched a crucial 34-run partnership with Shorna and then put on 22 runs with Nahida for the fifth and sixth wicket, respectively. With 14 needed off 12 and five wickets in hand, Bangladesh were still in the game.

But then came Deepti. After getting two lives - a catch was dropped, and a stumping chance was missed - Nigar was stumped by Yastika when she charged down the track and missed. When the equation came down to ten from six, Bangladesh fell like a pack of cards, losing four wickets in the 20th to hand India the series.