Women's Triangular T20 series: India beat Australia by seven wickets in 5th match
Melbourne: Smriti Mandhana slammed a superb half-century as India produced an improved batting show to notch up a seven-wicket win over Australia in the fifth T20, keeping themselves in the hunt for the finals at the women's triangular series here on Saturday.
Put in to bat, Australia posted 173 for 5, riding on a 57-ball 93 by Ashleigh Gardner and Meg Lanning's 22-ball 37 after India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to field at Junction Oval.
India then returned to overhaul the target, scoring 177 for three in 19.4 overs.
Sixteen-year-old Shafali Verma finally came good, blasting a 28-ball 49 to give India a flying start. Her innings contained eight fours and a six.
Smriti Mandhana (55) also smashed seven boundaries in her 48-ball innings to anchor the tricky chase. Jemimah Rodrigues also came out all cylinders blazing, making a quickfire 19-ball 30 with five fours. In the end, skipper Harmanpreet (20 off 20 balls) and Deepti Sharma (11 off 4 balls) took the team home.
Earlier, Gardner sent the ball across the fence 11 times and blasted three sixes in her 57-ball innings to emerge as the top-scorer for Australia.
For India, Deepti Sharma (2/27) was the most outstanding bowler, snapping two wickets, while Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1/34), Radha Yadav (1/34) and Harleen Deol (1/21) took one wicket each.
Ellyse Perry (1/33), Megan Schutt (1/26) and Nicola Carey (1/27) accounted for one wicket each for Australia.
With this win, India moved to the second position in the points table, behind England.
India had lost to Australia and England by an identical four-wicket margin in their last two matches in the series.
Australia will take on England in the final league match of the series on Sunday.
Brief Score:
Australia women: 173 for five in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 93; Deepti Sharma 2/27).
India women: 177 for three in 19.4 overs (Smriti Mandhana 55, Shafali Verma 49; Megan Schutt 1/26).
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J’khand principal orders 80 schoolgirls to remove shirts for writing on them; probe initiated
Dhanbad, Jan 11: The principal of a private school in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district was accused of ordering 80 girls of class 10 to remove their shirts for writing messages on them, prompting the administration to initiate an inquiry, an official said on Saturday.
The girls were allegedly forced to return home in their blazers without shirts beneath.
The incident took place in a prestigious school in Digwadih under Jorapokhar police station area on Friday, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Madhvi Mishra said.
The parents complained to the DC that class 10 students, after completing their examination, were celebrating ‘pen day’ by writing messages on each others' shirts.
The principal objected to the celebration and asked the students to remove their shirts, even though they sought an apology. All students were sent back home in their blazers without the shirts, the parents told the DC.
“Several guardians lodged complaints against the principal. We also talked to some of the victim girls. The administration has taken the matter seriously. A committee has been set up to investigate the matter," Mishra said.
The committee consists of the sub-divisional magistrate, district education officer, district social welfare officer and the sub-divisional police officer.
Action would be taken on the basis of the probe panel's report, the DC said.
Jharia MLA Ragini Singh also accompanied the parents to the DC's office on Saturday when they lodged the complaints against the principal.
Singh described the incident as "shameful and unfortunate".
