New Delhi, Oct 31 Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria hailed India's historic win over over Australia in the Women's World Cup semifinal, saying that the glory is heading towards Women in Blue.
India registered a five-wicket win over seven-time champions Australia in the semifinal, punching their ticket to their third ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Final after 2005 and 2017.
"Excellent victory. The way the Indian team is playing in this World Cup, the trophy is surely going to India. The way they played against Australia would have given them great confidence for the final because Australia is a tough side — their fitness level is exceptional, but India managed to overcome that, Kaneria told IANS.
Jemimah Rodrigues compiled a stunning century, scoring 127 off 134 deliveries as India chased down a record total of 339 in Women's ODI history. India's 341/5 in the semifinal is also the second-highest score in a Women's ODI run-chase, after their own 369 all-out against the same team in New Delhi last month.
This is the first time a 300-plus total was gunned down in an ODI World Cup knockout - Men's or Women's. The previous highest had come in the Men's CWC 2015 semifinal: 298 by New Zealand vs South Africa in Auckland.
Jemimah first combined with Smriti Mandhana to add 46 runs for the second wicket. She would then stitch together a crucial partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89) to keep India in the contest against Australia.
"Jemimah played a brilliant knock, staying at the crease till the end and guiding the team to victory. The Indian women are playing very strong cricket, and their fitness levels have improved significantly. A positive trend has started for the Indian women’s team, and it’s a very good sign for the future generation," he said.
Hosts India will take on South Africa in the summit clash on Sunday, meaning a team will claim the coveted Women's World Cup trophy for the very first time.
"First, the men’s team won the Asia Cup, now the Indian women are on course to win the World Cup, and next, the men’s ODI World Cup will also go India’s way — the glory is heading towards India," Kaneria added.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor