OPINION
Follow UsOver two months, the fans of world cricket were enthralled by some riveting games in the ongoing Indian Premier League. With the league stage of the tournament done and dusted, it was time for another league to take centre stage that had been bubbling in the shadows for over five years.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city and on a cloudy evening at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, the Women's T20 Challenge commenced amid the growing fanfare.
While the tournament started as a one-off exhibition match in 2018, it has grown through the course of five years, with three teams now vying for the coveted trophy.
The shortest format of the game demands a lot more strength and the ability to clear the boundary cushions with ease, and it is fair to say there were certainly doubts pertaining to the skill and the power of the women's players.
However, after a year-long hiatus due to the unprecedented chaos amid the pandemic, the Women's T20 Challenge finally arrived on home soil. And what an exciting game we had as the Supernovas dismantled the Trailblazers by 49 runs to inch a step closer to the summit clash.
While the scorecard would suggest a fairly one-sided affair, it was a night when the Women's T20 Challenge created an impact on the world arena with the Supernovas showcasing some brutal power-hitting to highlight the growth and development in women's sport.
Dottin starts with a bang
And as we speak of power-hitting, there ain't a better person who signifies what attacking batting is all about. We are talking of none other than Deandra Dottin, who has taken world cricket by storm with her exploits at the international level.
After making a comeback from a career-threatening shoulder injury, The West Indian batter started the innings for the Supernovas in a commanding fashion by making optimum use of the field restrictions to blaze her way to 32 off 17 deliveries studded with five boundaries and one massive six.
While she was timing the ball well, it needed something special to get rid of her, and it came in the form of Sharmin Akther nailing the direct hit from short square leg. While the fireworks came to a tame end, it was not before she powered the Supernovas on course for the highest powerplay score in the history of the league.
Harmanpreet sweeps the Trailblazers away
With one destructive batter back in the hut, and the wicket of Priya Punia on the first ball of the eighth over, it was time for skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to stride out of the middle.
The right-handed batter was welcomed with roaring applause from hundreds of spectators in the stadium wanting to see her score runs, and she did not disappoint them. After a lukewarm couple of years in the international arena, the 33-year-old showcased her grit and determination in the recently concluded World Cup in the land of the Kiwis.
On a night when the stakes were rocketing sky high against the reigning champions, Harmanpreet steadied the innings by accumulating the ones and the twos before unleashing her trademark sweep stroke.
Out of the 28 deliveries she has faced in her innings for 38 runs, she has managed to hit 19 deliveries towards the leg side region using her sweep shot ranging from wide long-on to deep backward square-leg.
Such was her impact in the innings and her dominance towards one side of the ground, it would have been interesting if Smriti Mandhana would have opted to use her away-going bowling options like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Poonam Yadav a lot more against her counterpart.
The use of off-spinners Salma Khatun and Hayley Matthews helped Harmanpreet power the team to 163 runs in the first innings, which is the highest total in the history of the tournament and lay a foundation for a thumping win.
The curious case of S Meghana
While it is hard to judge if the Trailblazers missed a trick when Harmanpreet walked in to bat, but there indeed were a few eyebrows raised when Mandhana announced the team for this high-voltage clash.
One of the finds in India's tour of the southern hemisphere earlier this year, S Meghana, was surprisingly not picked in the playing XI despite being one of the in-form players.
While there is no clarity on the reason for the same, the decision will be something to ponder for them as they lost six wickets in the middle-overs for ten runs courtesy of a brilliant spell from Pooja Vastrakar.
Despite being on track at the start of the run chase, Trailblazers faltered after the field restrictions mainly due to their inability to handle the pressure of the scoreboard. The skipper, along with Sophia Dunkley, got out trying to clear the in-field against Vatrakar in the same over, which led to their downfall.
With the lack of experience in the batting department to handle this collapse, it would have been ideal for them to include the hard-hitting batter, especially after her exploits in the series against White Ferns, which would lengthen their batting unit.
Well, in hindsight, we can only think about such a bizarre call in selecting the playing XI, but for now, the defending champions ought to brush this performance aside and turn up on Thursday, May 26, aiming to get over the line against Velocity.
In a short tournament like this, it is tough not knowing when you'll play together next, but for now, savour this moment as tonight showcased glimpses of great things to follow for women's cricket.
