Renuka Singh Thakur’s dismissal of knockout specialist Alyssa Healy aside, the Indian Women Cricket Team struggled to contain the Aussie batswoman for the majority of the first half of the Aussie innings.
The scoreboard read 1 for 83 at the end of the halfway mark. Kangaroo skipper Meg Lanning and an in-form Beth Mooney had stitched a 74-run-partnership off just 46 balls.
Both the batters looked in good touch. India needed something extraordinary to separate the dangerous duo and have a chance at winning the 2022 CWG finale. That ‘extraordinary’ came from 22-year-old Radha Yadav.
Radha Yadav pulls off an amazing run-out in the CWG 2022 final
Radha was entrusted with the 11th over of the game. The first delivery that she bowled was rather ordinary and left-hander Beth Mooney pushed it back for a single. But Radha Yadav made a sliding stop.
Mooney’s partner –Meg Lanning– however, had only come to a couple of steps down the pitch by the time Radha had the ball in hand. She had enough time to get back in by the time the left-armer could turn and break the stumps.
Nonetheless, in a brilliant display of reflexes and presence of mind in a pressure game like the CWG final, Radha Yadav pulled off an amazing run-out.
Radha transferred the ball to her left hand –and then without turning at all– she fired an accurate throw from under her legs onto the stumps.
Radha didn’t even look back before firing the throw and had a perfect idea of the sticks, which saved her a few split seconds.
Radha Yadav turning the game for India!?
What presence of mind!#INDvsAUS
pic.twitter.com/qRdmmCFSro— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) August 7, 2022
Those split seconds, in the end, turned out to be the difference as skipper Meg Lanning (36 off 26) was caught short by the barest of margins. The stunning run-out provided India with an opening in the high-pressure finale.
Radha shines again
In the very next over of the CWG 2022 final, Radha Yadav pulled off another stunning fielding act to make sure India made full use of that opening.
Radha Yadav's diving catch ??#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/TmhAVJVjLD
— Female Cricket #B2022 (@imfemalecricket) August 7, 2022
Stationed at point, Radha dived full-length to take a breathtaking catch to dismiss the big-hitting Tahlia McGrath.
The twin dismissals that came in quick succession turned out to be a boon to India as they made a fightback that sucked all the momentum out of the Australia Women’s innings.
Once looking set for 175+, the five-tine T20I champs could only put 161 runs on the board at the end of the innings. Beth Mooney top-scored with her 61(41).