India’s left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma made history on Tuesday by becoming only the second bowler to take a hat-trick in the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. In her remarkable debut performance, she recorded impressive figures of 5-5 in four overs during India’s Group A match against Malaysia at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.

The first-ever hat-trick in the tournament was claimed by South Africa’s Madison Landsman, who achieved the feat with figures of 4-12 against Scotland in the 2023 edition. Sharma also dismissed Malaysia’s Nur Dania Syuhada and Nuriman Hidayah, helping India bowl out Malaysia for just 31 in under 15 overs.

Alongside Sharma, Aayushi Shukla also made an impact with three wickets. Malaysia’s total would have been even lower had India not bowled 10 wides.

In response, India’s opening batters, Gongadi Trisha and G Kamalini, wasted no time in chasing down the modest total. The pair completed the chase in just three overs, with Trisha finishing unbeaten on 27 and Kamalini on 4.

The entire match lasted under 18 overs, and India recorded the second-fastest chase in U19 Women’s T20 World Cup history. With this dominant win, India moved to the top of Group A, tied on four points with Sri Lanka, but with an impressive net run rate of 9.1 compared to Sri Lanka’s 5.5.