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WHAT.A.CATCH! Harleen Deol takes 'catch of the summer' in England vs India women’s T20I

Harleen Deol took a brilliant catch to send back England wicketkeeper Amy Jones during the first Twenty20 International at Northampton.

By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jul 10, 2021 | 3 Min Read

England was making great progress in the first Twenty20 International against India at Northampton. Natalie Sciver had hit England’s fastest Twenty20 International fifty and she had great company in Amy Jones. Both Sciver and Jones were in fine form and the stage was set for an onslaught. In the 19^th over bowled by Shikha Pandey, she dismissed Sciver for 55 off 27 balls. But, in the fifth ball, a moment took place that stunned cricket fans and set social media on fire.

Shikha Pandey bowled a full ball to Amy Jones and she lofted the ball to wide long-off. It was at that time that Harleen Deol pulled off a stunning piece of fielding. Harleen was near the boundary and she timed the leap to perfection. She reverse cupped the catch but she was losing her balance. Realizing where the boundary rope was, Harleen threw the ball in the air and jumped to the other side. She then dived forward in the nick of time and completed a stunning catch. Take a look.

Out of 10, how much would you rate this epic catch by Harleen Deol? ❤️??#ENGvIND #HarleenDeol pic.twitter.com/E07ptipieP
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 9, 2021

Harleen Deol and the catch of the summer

Harleen’s efforts was hailed as the ‘catch of the English summer’ by many people on social media. Commentators also agreed that the catch was one of the best that they had ever seen. Here is a look at some of the reactions on social media. For a brief while, there was a trend on Twitter called What a catch. It had lavish praise for Harleen.

The efforts of Harleen ensured that England would be restricted to a total of under 180. Sadly, though, rain and the inconsistent top order saw India lose the match due to the Duckworth Lewis and Stern method.

#HarleenDeol – You have nailed it. What a treat to watch…. Best wishes….@BCCI @BCCIWomen https://t.co/jAzCiGespj
— Nitish Silawat (@SilawatNitish) July 10, 2021

India chose to field, with weather forecasters suggesting that there was a 60 percent chance of rain for three hours. England made a steady start with Tammy Beaumont and Danielle Wyatt finding the boundary on a regular basis. Wyatt was the more aggressive player of the lot as she found the boundary on a regular basis. The opening partnership went past fifty and the base was set for the onslaught.

India undone by England discipline

However, India fought back with Radha Yadav taking Wyatt’s wicket for 31. Sciver started in grand style with a four off Poonam Yadav and she launched a six off Radha Yadav. Beaumont fell for 18 to Poonam Yadav. When Heather Knight was run-out, England seemed to be stuttering at 87/3 in 12 overs. But, Sciver had other ideas. She hit two fours off Sneh Rana and Amy Jones hit three fours in one over off Radha Yadav. Sciver hit a hat-trick of boundaries off Arundhati Reddy and Jones responded with a four and six off Deepti Sharma. Sciver reached her fifty off 24 balls and Jones neared her half-century with a six off Poonam Yadav. However, Harleen’s fielding and three wickets by Shikha Pandey in the 19^th over limited the dame. But, England had hit 90 runs in the last eight overs and they ended on 177/7.

#HarleenDeol

What a catch by Harleen Deol. Looks like all Deol have a habit of crossing border and coming back safely.#harleendeol #IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/HfSuSc5cxZ
— Ishfaq Malik (@MrMalikIshfaq) July 10, 2021

India made a disastrous start when Katherine Brunt sent back Shafali Verma for 0. Smriti Mandhana responded with two fours off Brunt and she got good support from Harleen. Mandhana continued to find the boundaries, with two fours in one over off Sciver. But, the bowler had her revenge with Mandhana mistiming the slog pull to hole out to deep midwicket.

When Sarah Glenn sent back Harmanpreet Kaur, India lost momentum. In the ninth over, the rain arrived and it was heavy. At that time, India were 54/3 and 18 runs behind the DLS par score. With the rain settling in, England was declared the winners. However, for Harleen, it was a fantastic moment.