Team India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s run-out dismissal proved to be a turning point, as they lost the 2023 T20 World Cup semi-final clash by five runs against Australia on Thursday, February 24 at Newlands in Cape Town. Following the loss, Harmanpreet Kaur responded to Naseer Hussain’s ‘school-girl error’ remarks, saying that they are mature enough to play at the international level.
Chasing 173 runs, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues took on the charge, after India lost early wickets. They added 69 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership. Even after Jemimah’s dismissal, Kaur continued to take India ahead. However, a bizarre run-out ended her brilliant knock. In the fifteenth over, Harmanpreet went for a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket. Amy Gardner dived to stop the ball and threw it back to the keeper.
While going for the second run, the Indian skipper looked a bit casual in her running. Reaching the dangerous end, she tried to drag her bat into the crease. However, it stuck in the ground, and Alyssa Healy whipped off the bails. Naseer Hussain called it a ‘school-girl’ error by Harmanpreet Kaur. Reacting to his comment, she said,
“He [Nasser] said that? (Raises her eyebrows). Post-match? Okay. I don’t know, that’s his way of thinking but sometimes it happens. I have seen many times in cricket when batters are taking a single like that and the bat gets stuck there. Obviously, I will take it as we were unlucky today.
“I think it was unlucky but I don’t think it was a mistake by a schoolgirl. We are mature enough, we are playing international cricket and whatever he said, that’s his way of thinking. I don’t think it was like that,” she added.
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Australia enters the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup
Australia defeated India by five runs to advance to the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup. Batting first, they put on 172 runs on the back of Beth Mooney’s fifty and an unbeaten 49 from the skipper Meg Lanning. Shikha Pandey was the pick of the bowlers for India. Defending the score, Ashleigh Gardner and Darcie Brown took a couple of wickets each, as India fell short of the target.
Australia reached the semi-finals after topping Group A with four wins from as many games. They will play against the winners of the England-South Africa semis in the final on Sunday, February 26 in Newlands, Cape Town.
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