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.
Double Delight ✌️
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 10, 2024
2⃣0⃣2⃣* runs
1⃣3⃣7⃣ balls
2⃣7⃣ fours
2⃣ sixes
Uttarakhand's Neelam Bhardwaj registered the second-highest individual score in Senior Women’s One Day Trophy against Nagaland at Ahmedabad 🔥
Watch 📽️ snippets of her innings 🔽#SWOneday | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RhW6uOBHau
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.
