The Indian team won the inaugural Women's U19 T20 World Cup
in South Africa this year. Led by international star Shafali Verma, they beat
England Women in the final by seven wickets at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on
Sunday.
India have lost only one match in the tournament - against
Australia in the group stage. They had great performances in all aspects of the
game. Let's take a look at the top 5 Indian players and their successful
campaigns in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Shweta Sehrawat
Opener Shweta Sehrawat was easily the top scorer of the
tournament. She finished as the top run-getter of the tournament, scoring 297
runs over 7 innings at an average of 99 and a strike rate of 139.
Her best came against South Africa in India's U19 World
Cup. She smashed a match-winning 92 off 57 deliveries in pursuit of a solid
170, leading the team home with 7 wickets in 21 balls. She came up against New
Zealand in the all-important semi-final.
Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma is one of the most talented T20 batter in the
Indian circuit. She was just 16 years old when India qualified for the 2020
Women's T20 World Cup Final and has been upping their game ever since. As
captain, she played an important role in the tournament as a leader as well as
bat and ball.
Verma scored 172 runs over 7 innings at an average of 25
and a strike rate of 194, finishing as the third best run-getter in the
tournament. She was involved in balling leg spin. Her best in the tournament
came against South Africa when he scored 45 runs from 16 in 170 runs.
Parshavi Chopra
Parshavi Chopra, a right-arm spinner, was the second-best
wicket-taker in the tournament. He took 11 wickets in 6 matches at an average
of 7 with a save rate of just 3.66 runs per match.
Chopra did not have one bad performance during the entire
mega event. She was man of the match against New Zealand in the semi-final,
returning with figures of 3/20 in 4 overs. She followed that up with another
clutch performance in the final with 2/13 in 4 overs.
Mannat Kashyap
Punjabi Mannat Kashyap is the second-best Indian cricketer
in the tournament. The orthodox left-armer took 9 wickets in 6 matches at an
average of 10.33 and a save rate of 4.65.
Just like the rest of his team, she has not had a bad game
in ball. However, she stood out against Scotland, returning with figures of
4/12 from 4 overs, helping India successfully defend a target of 150.
Archana Devi
Right-arm off-spinner Archana Devi is one of the best
batsmen in the entire tournament. Adapting to South African soil as a
backpacker is not easy, and she did it with some style. She took 8 wickets in 7
matches at an average of 13.12 and a save ratio of 4.77, making things
difficult for the opposing batters.
Her best performance came against England in the final, as
she dismissed England skipper Grace Scrivens and Niamh Holland in the
Powerplay.