The number of co-incidences between Indian cricket team’s (both Men’s and Women’s) defeats in multi-team tournaments in the recent years are staggering. ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 Semi-final 1, the most latest of them all, presented yet another anecdote of India not being able to seal a run-chase despite gaining an advantage.
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It wouldn’t be wrong to say India’s inability to keep their nerves during crunch situations of knockout matches has cost them World Cups lately. However, what was contrasting from previous matches last night was how luck also seemed to be against the Indian team.
India, who needed 41 runs off 25 balls when captain Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed in Commonwealth Games Women’s Cricket Competition last year, required 40 runs off 32 balls when Kaur was dismissed last night. Kaur’s dismissal, a run-out, happened primarily because of her bat getting stuck in the grass right before the popping crease.
“Can’t be unluckier than this. To get that momentum back when me and Jemi [Jemimah Rodrigues] were batting, and to lose after that, we didn’t expect this today. The way I got run-out, can’t be unluckier than that,” Kaur rightly described her dismissal during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Inconsolable Harmanpreet Kaur consoled by Anjum Chopra in viral video
Kaur, who was livid whilst returning back to the pavilion, was equally emotional post yet another loss against Australia. Kaur, who hinted around needing time to recover from the loss during the post-match press conference, was seen in tears while meeting former India captain Anjum Chopra at Newlands yesterday.
One of the commentators for the World Cup, Chopra tried her best to console an inconsolable Kaur to put on display another heartbreaking video with respect to India’s 5-run loss.
“My intention was to give the captain some sympathy. Because that’s all I can offer from the outside. It was emotional moment for both of us. The way India lost, 5 runs, can be both a lot and nothing [in cricket]. I can understand what she must be going through. It was a player to player moment with her. We were just trying to lessen our sorrows by sharing them,” Chopra said in an emotional video posted by T20 World Cup.
Australia, who have qualified for their seventh consecutive T20 World Cup final, will be facing one out of England or South Africa in the all-important match at the same venue on Sunday.
