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Old Trafford, Manchester: India kept their semifinal hopes alive for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. While not as convincing as they would have hoped, explosive knocks from Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues got India over the line. They now take on Australia in their final group game at Lord’s, with a place in the next stage of the competition on the line.
India went into the field first for the first time at this T20 World Cup after Harmanpreet Kaur lost the toss. Scorching conditions and heat warnings across the country put the Indian fielders to the test under the blazing sun. Renuka Singh struck early in her first appearance of the tournament, baiting Dilara Akter into pulling the ball to Shree Charani at deep square leg after a flurry of wides.
What followed was arguably India’s lowest point of the competition.
Coming off an abysmal fielding display that cost them the game against South Africa, matters got even worse as India dropped four chances in the powerplay. The first, perhaps the most difficult, came when Juairiya Ferdous skied the ball, but Yastika Bhatia appeared to lose it in the glare of the heatwave, diving and missing the catch.
Ferdous then received another stroke of fortune, being dropped on nine by India’s star fielder Radha Yadav, who faced heavy backlash after dropping Marizanne Kapp twice in the previous game. Kapp went on to score a match-winning unbeaten 81. It was another straightforward chance, flying directly into Yadav’s hands at deep midwicket, but it slipped through her grasp and rolled to the boundary.
Nandani Sharma then dropped two catches on consecutive deliveries, both diving attempts. First, Sobhana Mostary was put down in the covers, and then, after moving positions, she dropped Ferdous at short third.
Bangladesh continued to capitalize on India’s subpar fielding, threading shots through gaps to collect boundaries. Nandani looked rusty after those two missed opportunities and received two warnings from the umpire for running onto the danger area of the pitch. However, she channeled her frustration positively and earned the breakthrough, forcing Ferdous to drive the ball straight back to her after a damaging 33.
While a collapse never materialized, Bangladesh’s run rate gradually slowed. Mostary played a lofted shot to Deepti Sharma at mid-off, giving Yadav a wicket with the ball. However, captain Nigar Sultana continued to pose problems, with a score above 140 looking likely.
Yadav ended that threat, drawing Sultana out of her crease on 32 and allowing Richa Ghosh to complete the stumping. The setbacks hit Bangladesh hard, and their projected total began to fall. In a bid to accelerate, Bangladesh retired number five batter Sharmin Akhter out, but the move instead triggered a mini collapse. Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, and Nahida Akter all departed in the final two overs, courtesy of Yadav and Charani, as Bangladesh finished on 136/8.
Shafali Verma came out firing as Bangladesh endured their own fielding struggles. Captain Sultana dropped Verma behind the stumps on four, and the opener unleashed her power to give India a flying start in the powerplay. Smriti Mandhana took a backseat, but that relaxation proved costly as she drove the ball straight to Rabeya Khan, handing Marufa Akter and Bangladesh their first breakthrough.
Verma cruised to a half-century, but a moment of poor judgment saw her charge down the pitch and get stumped by Sultana off Nahida. She departed for 53, striking her helmet in frustration on the way back.
Bhatia continued to anchor the chase but eventually lofted a shot to Khan off Moni and was dismissed for 23. The promoted Ghosh followed shortly after, trapped LBW by Khan after having an earlier decision overturned. After managing just 32 runs across her first three games, Jemimah Rodrigues finally made her mark with a cameo of 26 to bring India closer to the target. Captain Kaur and Deepti ultimately completed the chase with five wickets in hand and 19 balls remaining.
What We Learned
India’s Butterfingers Becoming Costly
Radha Yadav, speaking in July 2025 after India won the T20I series against England in Manchester:
“Absolutely,” said Yadav when asked if the team had focused on fielding after the last game.
“We spoke about it in the last meeting that we have to cut down on twos and we actually did that today and we were really pumped up to do that.”
“The fielding really changed the momentum of the game, because both teams bowled well and it was the fielding that was great for us.”
Ironically, almost a year later, she has become one of India’s biggest liabilities in the field at the same venue where she once starred. Two costly drops against South Africa and another that could have proved expensive against Bangladesh paint a stark contrast to the match-winning fielder she was last year.
However, the blame does not rest solely with Yadav. The entire team has struggled.
Fielding was one of India’s biggest strengths throughout 2025 and played a crucial role in their maiden ODI World Cup triumph. The sharpness was still evident as recently as their T20I series against England a few weeks ago. For that quality to disappear so suddenly is a major concern. The coaching staff will need to address the issue quickly, because a repeat performance against an all-around powerhouse like Australia could end India’s tournament.
On the Right Track
Bangladesh’s campaign at the T20 World Cup has unfortunately come to an end, but the Tigresses can still take plenty of positives from the tournament.
Two victories, including one over a formidable Pakistan side, a competitive showing against Australia, and a much tougher challenge to India than many expected all point to a team moving in the right direction. In a few years, Bangladesh could very well have the capability to consistently compete with the sport’s leading nations.
Talents such as Juairiya Ferdous and Rabeya Khan signal a bright future as Bangladesh continues to close the gap in quality. In fact, this T20 World Cup has demonstrated that they can be at the forefront of that progress. While their tournament journey may be over, they will hope to finish on a high against South Africa in their final fixture.
What They Said
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joy: (On communicating with her players) “I think as a keeper and as a wicket captain I think sometimes I have to talk a lot just because sometimes there are a lot of young players out there. Sometimes they took a lot of pressure so I am just trying to talk with them and try to settle them like you should be calmed down otherwise you cannot deliver yourself in the middle.”
“I really like to talk with the bowlers especially because I can see how actually the batters move. So it actually helps the bowlers as well to bowl in the right areas because some batters are actually going forward or using some time across the feet and a lot of things.
So I try to tell them they are trying to do this so you can go for that. So I think it is just a way.”
Radha Yadav, India: (On her fielding form) “I think just a bad day for me. I don’t have to say about my fielding. I have done that in the past. I have taken some brilliant catches as well. So nothing to worry about it. Just a bad day.”
(On the upcoming Australia game) “After the South Africa game, we had a hurdle, a team hurdle, and we spoke about, you know, this is not something new for us. We’ve done it, like, before also. So, that’s what we told each other, just keep smiling.”
“You’re all doing your own thing, and you can’t do much more than that. Just, you can do one thing, you can help each other. You know, you can keep each other busy, and you can lift each other up. Because it’s such a high-pressure game, especially for India, obviously, there are so many expectations for everyone. So, nothing else, just smile, enjoy.”
What comes next
Sunday 28 June, Bangladesh Vs South Africa @ Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, 10:30 a.m. BST (6:00 a.m. EST; 3:00 p.m. IST).
Sunday, 28 June, India Vs Australia @ Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, 2:30 p.m. BST (9:30 a.m. EST; 7:00 p.m. IST)
