Harmanpreet Kaur registers most runs in women's T20I as captain
Johannesburg, April 23
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur completed 3,000 runs in T20I cricket as a captain, becoming the captain with the most runs in the format.
Harmanpreet achieved this milestone during her side's third T20I against South Africa at Johannesburg on Thursday, scoring 66 in 38 balls, with seven fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 173.68.
Now, as a captain in T20Is, she has scored 3,017 runs in 138 matches and 125 innings at an average of 32.79, including a century and 14 fifties, with her closest rival being Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu, with 3,016 runs in 108 matches and 107 innings at an average of 30.16, including three centuries and 14 fifties.
Harmanpreet is the third-highest run-getter in women's T20Is, with 3,947 runs in 193 matches and 172 innings at an average of 29.90 and a strike rate of almost 110, with a century and 16 fifties.
During this series against South Africa away from home, which India have lost 3-0 with two games left, Harmanpreet has scored 125 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of over 156, with a fifty.
Coming to the match, SA won the toss and elected to field first. Half-centuries from Harmanpreet (66 in 38 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Shafali Verma (64 in 46 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) took India to 192/4 in 20 overs.
Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/31) was the pick of the bowlers for SA.
But century from Laura Woolvardt, the SA skipper (115 in 53 balls, with 14 fours and five sixes) and a fifty from Sune Luus (64* in 42 balls, with six fours and two sixes) took SA to a crushing nine wicket win with 21 balls in hand.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Individual brilliance is great, but the team lost 3-0? That's a bit worrying. Harmanpreet scored well, but as a captain, the team's performance matters most. Hope they can bounce back in the last two matches.
Her strike rate of 173 in that knock was fire! 🔥 But our bowling let us down badly. Conceding 192 and then losing by 9 wickets with so many balls left... that's a serious area of concern. Fielding also needs work.
As a cricket fan living here, it's amazing to see women's cricket getting these milestones and coverage. Harmanpreet is an inspiration. That said, the gap between her and Athapaththu is just 1 run! That's incredibly close.
Bas, wah! Kya batting thi. Shafali also played well. But yaar, when will our bowlers learn to defend a total of 192? That should be a winning score. Laura Wolvaardt played a blinder, but we need to find a way to stop such innings.
Respect for the milestone, captain. But the real test is winning overseas. We have the batting firepower, clearly. Need to build a bowling attack that can win matches abroad. That's the next frontier for women's cricket in India.
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