Shafali hits 81 as India beat Nepal by 82 runs to qualify for semifinals of women's Asia Cup
Dambulla, Jul 23: Explosive opener Shafali Verma slammed a career-best 48-ball 81 as defending champions India thrashed minnows Nepal by 82 runs in their final group match to confirm their semifinal spot at the Women's Asia Cup T20 tournament here on Tuesday.
With India shuffling the batting order, Shafali and Dayalan Hemalatha (47) opened the innings and gave India a flying start after stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bat.
The opening duo smashed its way to 122 in 14 overs to lay the foundation.
Jemimah Rodrigues then hit unbeaten 28 off 15 balls, including three fours in the final over, to take India to a solid 178 for three.
Nepal needed to achieve the target in or under 10 overs to surpass Pakistan on net run rate and qualify for the semifinals but they could only manage 96 for nine in their 20 overs, thanks to some superb bowling from the in-form Indian attack.
Deepti Sharma (3/13) was the most successful bowler for India as she snapped three wickets, while her spin colleague Radha Yadav (2/12) and seamer Arundhati Reddy (2/18), playing in place of a rested Pooja Vastrakar, snapped two each.
Pakistan, thus, became the second team to qualify for the semifinals from group A.
It proved to be a tough chase for Nepal as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to slip to 52 for 4 in 10.2 overs with seamer Arundhati cleaning up both the openers -- Samjhana Khadka (7) and Sita Rana Magar (18).
Renuka Singh (1/15) then dismissed Kabita Kunwar (6), while Radha removed Indu Barma (14).
Deepti then got into the act, getting rid of Rubina Chhetry (15) and Kabita Joshi (0) and then removed Puja Mahato (2) with a direct throw.
Dolly Bhatta (5) became the second victim of Radha, while a caught and bowl effort helped Deepti dismiss Kajal Shrestha (3) to claim her third wicket.
Earlier, Shafali literally toyed with the bowlers, using her flicks to good use as 12 fours and a maximum flew from her blade.
Hemalatha struggled a bit but chugged along with her experienced partner as the Nepalese bowlers toiled in vain.
The openers racked up 50 in the powerplay and continued to make the bowlers pay.
Shafali was particularly harsh on medium pacer Kabita Joshi (1/36), smashing her for five boundaries, while off-spinner Sabnam Rai (0/41) too was sent across the line a couple of times.
The dashing opener smacked spinner Rubina Chhetry (0/14) over deep mid-wicket for her first six in the seventh over before picking up another four with a slog-sweep. She completed her fifty in 26 balls in the eighth over.
Hemalatha, who was finding it difficult to get the middle of the bat, then clobbered Joshi for a straight six as India reached 91 for no loss at the halfway stage.
Nepal had an opportunity to break the stand in the 12th over by left-arm spinner Sita Rana Magar (2/25) but seamer Indu Barma (0/29) spilled a regulation catch off Hemalatha at the boundary line.
The batter, however, was caught by Rubina after a bit of a juggle off the same bowler as India lost their first wicket with the team at 122 in 14 overs.
Hemalatha struck five fours and a six in her 42-ball innings.
Shafali continued to punish the bowlers, slamming two more fours off Barma but Sita Rana finally got rid of the opener with a tossed up delivery as the keeper did the rest.
Joshi then trapped S Sajana (10) but Rodrigues swelled the innings with a little cameo.
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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
