Media365
Even as India’s men endured a tough night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, young star Abhishek Sharma found reason to celebrate across hemispheres. Moments after India faced defeat in the second T20I against Australia, Abhishek turned the spotlight on Jemimah Rodrigues and the Indian women’s team, who had scripted history on Thursday.Rodrigues’s unbeaten 127 helped India chase down 339, the highest successful run chase in Women’s ODI history, to beat Australia and storm into the World Cup final, where they will meet South Africa on November 2.Speaking after his counter-attacking 68 off 37 balls in India’s losing cause, Abhishek said he and his teammates had followed the women’s campaign closely.“We’ve been watching all their matches. The way they’ve shown maturity and played together as a unit is inspiring,” Abhishek told reporters. “Players like Jemimah, Harman and others have handled pressure beautifully. They truly deserve the trophy. The way they’ve played, they’ve earned it.”Abhishek’s own innings was the lone bright spot in India’s otherwise forgettable batting display. His 56-run stand with Harshit Rana (35) helped India limp past 100 after a fiery spell from Josh Hazlewood (3/13) had reduced them to 32 for 4. Eight Indian batters failed to reach double figures as the side folded with eight balls to spare.Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh’s brisk 46 off 26 balls, chased down the target with 6.4 overs left to go up 1-0 in the five-match series.Even in defeat, Abhishek’s words struck the right chord, echoing the pride of a cricketing fraternity that now looks forward to another Indian team chasing glory in a World Cup final.
