Gongadi Trisha starred with 3-15 and an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls in the title clash
India Under 19 women successfully defended their Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup crown as they beat South Africa in the final on Sunday at the Bayuemas Oval in Kaula Lumpur.
Indian batters mowed down a target of 83 within 11.2 overs with nine wickets remaining to lift the title in dominating fashion. India had won the inaugural 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa under the captaincy of star opener Shafali Verma.
South Africa captain Kayla Reyneke elected to bat after winning the toss which seemed to be the right decision in the first over after openers Jemma Botha and Simone Lourens scored 10 runs.
By the end of the fourth over, however, they were both back in the dugout as Parunika Sisodia (2-6) and pacer Shabnam Shakil (1-7) struck to trigger the South African collapse.
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The spin trio of Sisodia, Gongadi Trisha and Aayushi Shukla put them on a tight rope with three more wickets as South Africa were able to reach only 44 runs by the 13th over while losing half their side.
Trisha, who is the tournament’s highest run-scorer, spun magic with her legspin with 3-15 from her four overs which included the prized wicket of captain Reyneke.
Mieke van Voorst was the best of the South African batters with 23 of 18 as she added 30 runs for the sixth wickets with Fay Cowling (15 off 20 balls). But once Trisha removed Van Voorst in the 18th over, tournament’s top wicket-taker Vaishnavi Sharma (2-23) removed Cowling and Monalisa Legodi in the 19th over.
South Africa’s innings came to an end at 82 when Ashleigh van Wyk was dismissed by Sisodia.
Opener Trisha, who became the first ever centurion of the Women’s Under 19 T20 World Cup with 102 not out against Scotland, went hammer and tongs on the South African bowlers from the first ball itself.
The 19-year-old clobbered six boundaries while her partner G Kamilini got one boundary as India raced away to 36 within the first four overs. Kamilini was then dismissed by Reyneke’s fifth over when she launched it to long-off for a superb catch by Lourens.
Despite a wicket-maiden fifth over, there was little South Africa could do to stop Trisha as she kept finding gaps and driving with ease. She was dropped on 38 in Monalisa Legodi’s 10th over but the game was already out of South Africa’s grasp by then.
Sanika Chalka scored at a run-a-ball pace and remained not out on 26 off 22 balls. The Indian team rushed on to the pitch as Chalka drove Legodi through to the square leg boundary.
Trisha with 44 not out off 33 balls, finished miles ahead of the everyone else in the tournament with a run tally of 305 from seven games at stunning average of 76. The 19-year-old from Telangana bagged both Player of The Match and Player of The Tournament awards.
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