AUS-W vs IND-W CWG 2022 : Deepti Sharma sends Beth Monney back with stunning one-handed catch

The blockbuster finale between India and Australia in the Women’s T20 tournament in the Commonwealth Games has lived up to the billing so far as a full house crowd at Edgbaston has witnessed a terrific contest between ball and bat. But it was Deepti Sharma who stole the show, not with the ball in hand, but on the field with a stunning catch.

Australia won the toss and elected the bat first in the showcase contest for the gold medal. After losing Alyssa Healy early in the innings, the Aussies counter-attacked via the experienced pair of Beth Monney and Meg Lanning, but the dismissal of the Australian skipper handed the Indian bowlers a much-needed opening in the match.

Although wickets kept tumbling from the other end, Mooney continued with her assault, and the Women in Yellow were looking at a commanding total before Deepti Sharma plucked a sensational catch while running back to dismiss the dangerous Aussie opener in the 18th over. The batting side managed just 19 runs after that wicket as Indian bowlers finished strongly.

Watch video: 

Indian fielders put on a clinic to restrict the Australian total

As mentioned above, Australia were well set to post a hefty total on the board when Mooney and Lanning were set at the crease and were founding the ropes at regular intervals. But the dismissal of Lanning saw Indian bowlers claw their way back into the game with some quick wickets. The Australian lower order contributed with some handy runs as Ashleigh Gardner amassed 25 off just 15 deliveries and was followed by Rachael Haynes’ 18 off 10 deliveries as Australia posted a challenging total of 161 runs.

Indian fielders were exceptional in the field and backed their bowlers as they recorded two run-outs and two stunning catches, one by Deepti Sharma and another by Radha Yadav, to dismiss the dangerous Tahlia McGrath earlier in the innings. Harmanpreet Kaur’s women will have to put another outstanding performance with the bat against the tournament favorites to clinch the gold medal.