Neelam Bhardwaj Becomes Youngest Indian Woman To Hit List A Double Century

The 18-year-old Uttarakhand batter Neelam Bhardwaj became the youngest woman to score a double hundred in the List A match

Ahmedabad: The 18-year-old Neelam Bhardwaj from Uttarakhand became the youngest woman to score a double ton in the List A cricket. She smashed an unbeaten 202 off just 137 balls and helped her team secure a 259-run win over Nagaland in the senior women’s Trophy a the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Neelam’s sensational knock included 27 fours and two sixes which paved the way for Uttarakhand posting 371/2 in 50 overs. Her stay at the crease poised with timing and ability to accelerate helped her ink her name in an elite club of cricketers.

While chasing a mammoth target, Nagaland crumbled under pressure applied by Uttarakhand’s bowlers. The team got all out on a total of 112. Veteran India bowler and Uttarakhand skipper Ekta Bisht took a five-wicket haul with an economy of 1.40.

Neelam’s achievement is crucial in Indian cricket. Earlier this year, Shweta Sehrawat became the first Indian woman to score a double century in a List A match with a knock of 242 runs from 150 deliveries.

The elite list of Indian women to smash double hundreds include Smriti Mandhana and cricketing legend Mithali Raj. Mandhana played a knock of 224 runs in Maharashtra U-19 against Gujarat U-19 in 2013-14. Raj’s historic knock came against England in 2002 when she scored 214 runs during her stay at the crease.

Uttarakhand will be up against Kerala in their next fixture on Thursday. The team has won three matches out of the four they have played in the tournament and are placed at the fourth position in Group B.