India Women VS Hong Kong, China Women Match ball by ball Commentary

That's all for the night - It was a lopsided affair as India confirmed their place in the semi-finals with a comprehensive win. With this loss, Hong Kong, China are only mathematically in contention, and it is a similar story for Thailand. Pakistan, who have 2 games left, are in a much stronger position. India's next assignment sees them take on Pakistan on September 5, while Hong Kong, China will face Pakistan on September 7. The action continues on Friday, September 4, when UAE take on Indonesia, with the first ball to be bowled at 2.30 pm GMT (8 pm IST). Until next time, see you and goodbye.

The skipper of India Women - Harmanpreet Kaur begins by pointing out the positives. She says that Smriti and Shefali played really well and helped them to post a huge total on the board. Reckons that the pitch was a lot better than the previous one, but she feels they still have to take a lot of notes to take regarding the conditions. She then acknowledges the concerns surrounding the middle order, explaining that batting first on this pitch helped them to adapt to conditions, while expressing satisfaction that the team still achieved their target of posting close to 200 before the bowlers completed the job. Regarding team selection ahead of the semifinals, she states that the playing XI is largely sorted, though the management will take the remaining time to assess whether any adjustments or shifts in responsibilities are needed. She further expresses gratitude for having Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma in the national squad, noting that leading them is a privilege and commending Smriti for her crucial knock and Sharma for her consistent hard work. She concludes by praising Hong Kong, China for their joyous celebrations on the field, sharing that observing their enthusiastic approach served as a powerful reminder for top-tier teams to continue enjoying the game even amidst intense competition.

The captain of Hong Kong, China Women - Natasha Miles starts by highlighting the positives, noting that her team bowled well in phases and had the game firmly in their hands for the first 10 to 12 overs before Smriti Mandhana played a top-class innings that showed India's true quality. Miles then acknowledges that while executing their plans was key, they were fully aware of the challenge of facing world-class opposition and knew they had to maintain standard bowling throughout. She emphasises that her team simply needs more exposure at this level to build belief, explaining that competing against higher-ranked teams is essential for gaining confidence. Ends up by sharing insights from a conversation with Harmanpreet Kaur, stating that the main takeaway for her side going forward is adopting that same level of bravery, specifically the confidence and commitment to play big shots right from ball one.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - No prizes for guessing, Smriti Mandhana takes home the award for her entertaining knock of 124 off 64 balls, studded with 14 fours and 7 sixes. When asked if she wants to dedicate this award to anyone, she says she did not have anyone specific in mind, but wants to dedicate her century to her family. On the adjustments she made, she says the team had watched a few videos of the Hong Kong, China bowlers but did not know much about them, so it was about forgetting everything and adjusting to the pace once they came up against them. On missing out on full tosses, she jokes that full tosses are not her strength, but she was happy to put a few of them away, while acknowledging that they can either go for a six or get you out.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Too hot to handle - With 193 on the board, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Hong Kong, China Women, and their task was made all the more difficult by the disciplined bowling from the Indian seamers upfront before the spinners took over. Marina Lamplough was the only one able to show any real spark. After the impressive effort she put in during the campaign opener, she looked confident again tonight and tried to take the attack to the Indian bowlers.

The night belonged to Mandhana - Oh, yes, it certainly did, with the number of milestones she ticked off on her way to her career-best T20I score of 124. She went past Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket and also moved to the top of the women's international century charts, going past Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt with her 18th international hundred. Mandhana nearly batted through the entire 20 overs, which helped their cause on a sluggish surface. For the rest of the batting, barring Shafali Verma, it was a struggle.

India flex their muscles - Two emphatic wins for the Women in Blue, and by doing so, they have become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. Hong Kong, China Women could not put up any sort of fight with the bat and, even with the ball, they lacked the consistency needed to challenge the might of the Indian batting unit.

Another stumping appeal. Richa Ghosh looks pretty confident.