Catch of the year for me: Tendulkar on Harleen Deol’s stunner in 1st T20I

India might have lost the first T20I against England, but Harleen's acrobatic effort in the match won the hearts of the fans as she pulled off a stunner. In the 19th over of England innings

Northampton: India cricketer Harleen Deol pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Amy Jones in the first T20I against England on Friday and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar had no hesitation in rating it as the “catch of the year”.

That was a brilliant catch @imharleenDeol. Definitely the catch of the year for me!pic.twitter.com/pDUcVeOVN8

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— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 10, 2021

India might have lost the first T20I against England, but Harleen’s acrobatic effort in the match won the hearts of the fans as she pulled off a stunner. In the 19th over of England innings, Jones whacked the ball towards wide long-off and Harleen produced a sensational effort to dismiss the batter. Having caught the ball, she realised that the momentum would be taking her over the ropes. The presence of mind from the cricketer saw her throw the ball up in the air and dive back to complete the catch.

Tendulkar hailed Harleen for the “brilliant” catch. “That was a brilliant catch @imharleenDeol. Definitely the catch of the year for me!” Tendulkar tweeted.

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman said it was as good a catch as one will ever see in cricket. “As good a catch one will ever see on a cricket field, from Harleen Deol. Absolutely top class,” Laxman tweeted.

India spinner Harbhajan Singh lauded Harleen for her “simply outstanding” effort on the field to dismiss Jones. “Take a bow @imharleenDeol that’s simply outstanding keep it up,” Harbhajan tweeted.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also shared a video on Twitter.

“The result didn’t go our way today but here is something special from the game,” BCCI tweeted.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also took a stunning catch to dismiss inform Natalie Sciver in the 19th over.

Natalie Sciver and Amy Jones smashed 55 and 43 runs respectively as England defeated India in the rain-curtailed first T20I on Friday.

England scored 177 runs in 20 overs and then restricted India to 54/3 in 8.4 overs before rain stopped the play. Since the DLS par score at that stage was 72, India lost the match by 18 runs. With this win, England took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series with two matches to go.