Navi Mumbai, Jan 12 (IANS) After playing a destructive innings of 85 off 40 deliveries and helping her team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), pull off a terrific victory by nine wickets and 47 balls remaining against UP Warriorz, Grace Harris revealed she had actually been preparing to bat in the death overs rather than face the new ball.

Harris was named Player of the Match after smashing a breathtaking 85 off 40 balls, studded with 10 fours and five sixes. Opening alongside Smriti Mandhana, Harris set the tone from the first over, the pair racing to a 137-run opening partnership, the highest-ever for RCB in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

“It’s pretty good. I am loving my time at RCB. It’s a great setup. Really loving my life at the moment. I did kinda think I would face the older ball, so I was preparing for the change-ups and for the death overs. I got to know that I will be opening with Smriti, who is so classy and so calm. It’s a great reminder watching her that you don’t have to overhit the ball. She is so technically correct,” said Grace Harris after the match.

Harris was named Player of the Match after her sensational innings of 85 runs off 40 balls, which included 10 fours and five sixes. Starting with Smriti Mandhana at the opening position, Harris set a great example by scoring runs quickly and stitching a remarkable 137-run partnership with Mandhana.

Mandhana, unbeaten on 47 off 32 balls with nine fours, played the perfect foil, allowing Harris to attack freely. The stand was only broken by Shikha Pandey when RCB needed just seven runs in 74 balls, underlining the one-sided nature of the contest.

Harris’ assault included one unforgettable over. In the sixth over of the chase, she tore into Deandra Dottin, plundering 30 runs off the bat as the over went for 32, featuring three fours, three sixes, and a no-ball — the only over Dottin bowled in the innings.

“I haven’t named this bat yet. I could name it after an Indian burger. It’s got a good middle so far. So far so good. I think you have to take advantage of the very good conditions in the 2nd innings. On this ground, you do want to bowl first, which is a little advantage. The other game was 200 versus 200. Full credit to our bowlers for keeping them down to 144, which makes a chase like that a little bit easier at the back of your mind. Kate Cross said it earlier on TV,” she said.

–IANS

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