While the Indian men’s cricket team had a challenging evening at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, young all-rounder Abhishek Sharma found a brilliant reason to cheer for Indian cricket across the globe. Soon after his team’s T20I loss to Australia, Sharma shifted attention to Jemimah Rodrigues and the incredible Indian women’s team, who had just made history.
Rodrigues played a truly phenomenal innings, scoring an unbeaten 127 runs. Her masterclass enabled India to successfully chase down a massive target of 339, marking the highest successful run chase ever in Women’s ODI history. This spectacular victory over Australia propelled them directly into the World Cup final, where they are set to face South Africa on November 2nd.
Reflecting on his own impressive, albeit ultimately losing, counter-attacking knock of 68 runs off just 37 balls, Abhishek shared that he and his fellow teammates had been avidly following the women’s team’s World Cup journey.
“We’ve genuinely been glued to all their matches,” Abhishek told reporters, beaming with pride. “The maturity and teamwork they’ve displayed throughout the tournament have been incredibly inspiring. Players such as Jemimah and Harman, among others, have managed pressure with such grace and brilliance. They absolutely deserve to lift that trophy; their performance has truly earned it.”
Sharma’s fiery innings was undoubtedly the sole highlight in what was otherwise a forgettable batting performance by the men’s team.
His crucial 56-run partnership with Harshit Rana, who scored 35, allowed India to somewhat recover and pass the 100-run mark. This came after a devastating spell by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who took 3 wickets for just 13 runs, leaving India struggling at 32 for 4. Ultimately, eight Indian batters couldn’t even reach double figures, and the team was bowled out with eight balls remaining.
Meanwhile, the Australian men, spearheaded by Mitchell Marsh’s quickfire 46 off 26 deliveries, comfortably chased their target with 6.4 overs to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Despite the men’s team’s defeat, Abhishek Sharma’s words resonated deeply, perfectly capturing the immense pride felt across the cricketing community. All eyes are now on the Indian women’s team as they prepare to chase World Cup glory.