The Indian women’s cricket team is setting the stage for a monumental victory in the world of women’s T20I cricket, as they prepare for a potential historic clean sweep against their counterparts from Bangladesh. With a strong and commanding lead of 4-0 in the five-match T20I series, the Indian squad stands on the threshold of victory with the final match scheduled at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, May 9.
Having previously secured two whitewashes against Bangladesh, India’s women are no strangers to this achievement. The first whitewash occurred on home ground in 2013 followed by a second victory on Bangladeshi soil in 2014. However, should the team, under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, seal the fifth game in their favor, it would mark their third whitewash against Bangladesh in T20Is and notably, the most secured against any single opposition.
In the broader history of Indian women’s T20I cricket, this would not only be a hat-trick of series clean sweeps over Bangladesh, it would also add to their record of four total whitewashes, including triumphs against West Indies and Sri Lanka.
While there’s been considerable buzz regarding a potential whitewash, Captain Kaur’s focus remains rooted in the execution of her team’s performance rather than the end result. Following the fourth T20I, she emphasized the importance of self-expression on the field, “We just need to go how we are going. We are not thinking about winning, I think we just need to go there and express ourselves then the result will automatically come.”
England leads the global pack with an impressive record of 11 T20I series whitewashes, with West Indies trailing with eight series wins, and Australia holding third place, tallying seven clean sweeps.
After India’s convincing win in the fourth T20I, Captain Kaur expressed satisfaction with both the team’s performance and their growing familiarity with conditions in Bangladesh, which is crucial given the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup to be hosted there in October. She reflected on the value of the series, “I think it was a great show by all of us. Everyone is contributing and giving their 100% for the team. I think whoever is available for the team, we just want to give opportunity to every one of them. Let’s see how we will prepare for the last game. (Conditions) We really wanted to have this series. World Cup is coming later on this year and we just wanted to get used to the conditions and understand how the condition is going to be. Good preparation for all of us.”
Besides the potential historic victory, the series has become a significant preparatory ground for the Indian team, as they look to hone their skills and strategies ahead of the T20 World Cup. As the series concludes, there will no doubt be keen interest from cricket enthusiasts around the globe to see if India can successfully execute a perfect series and maintain their impressive record against Bangladesh.
