Finance
Deepti Sharma took 3-20, while Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, and Shreyanka Patil each took two wickets to lead India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Pakistan and a winning start to their Women’s T20 Asia Cup title defence at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
On a dry wicket, India’s bowlers delivered a standout bowling performance, limiting Pakistan to 108 runs. In response, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana shared an 85-run opening stand off just 57 balls, allowing India to easily chase down the target. Shafali (45) and Smriti (40) feasted on Pakistan’s wayward bowling and smashed numerous of boundaries, ensuring India knocked down the score with seven wickets in hand and 35 balls remaining. The Power-play phase summed up the result: Pakistan lost three wickets, while India didn’t lose any.
Shafali began chasing 109 by blasting Sadia Iqbal for a four through a deep backward square leg fence, while Smriti started with a simple flick off Fatima Sana for a boundary. Shafali dragged and slashed Sadia for two simple boundaries before greeting Nida Dar with a sweep through square-leg for four.
Smriti moved on the backfoot to punch wide of cover-point and select a boundary, followed by Shafali lofting and pushing forward to unleash a textbook straight shot off Fatima for a pair of fours. Smriti welcomed Tuba Hassan with a punch and pull for two fours, followed by Shafali’s tremendous sweep for a six, as India finished the Power Play at 57/0. Tuba came under fresh attack in the eighth over, as Smriti swept her for four more, followed by her lofting twice, paddling and flicking with immaculate ease to take four more boundaries as 21 runs came off the over. From there, the lone academic interest in the game was who would reach their half-century first.
But Smriti fell five runs short of her fifty when she didn’t get the elevation on a lofted shot and was caught by mid-wicket taking the catch in front of her face. Dayalan Hemalatha, back at number three, hit a hat-trick of boundaries off Nashra Sandhu.
Like Smriti, Shafali didn’t reach her fifty as Syeda Aroob Shah castled her through the gate for 40. Nashra came back to have Hemalatha mistime her loft and be caught at cover-point. Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues knocked off the remaining runs to get India’s campaign off to a winning start.
Earlier, Deepti bowled well in the middle overs to be the pick of India’s bowlers. For Pakistan, it was a disappointing batting performance where they struggled to get and maintain a steady tempo in their innings, resulting in only four batters touching double figures. The lack of partnerships and being unable to rotate strike often meant they were unable to break free from the pressure imposed by the Indian bowlers, as Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 47 runs.
Electing to bat first, Pakistan suffered an early jolt when Gull Feroza’s top edge on the pull was caught by mid-on off Pooja. The all-rounder returned in the fourth over to claim Muneeba Ali with another short ball which she miscued to cover.
Pakistan’s difficulties continued after the Power-play, when Shreyanka took advantage of a loopy off-break to drop in and take the leading edge off Aliya Riaz’s flick to mid-wicket. After Nida Dar holed out to Deepti at long-on, Pakistan’s fortunes worsened when Renuka had Sidra Amin slicing to backward point and Iram Javed caught lbw on consecutive deliveries.
Tuba stepped up to knock three boundaries in her 19-ball 22, before slicing Deepti to backward point in the 18th over, with the off-spinner had Nashra nick behind after Aroob was run out.
Fatima led Pakistan above 100 runs by slog-sweeping Radha Yadav for two sixes. However, Shreyanka finished Pakistan’s innings by castingling Sadia, as they folded up for 108 with four balls left unused.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 108 all out in 19.2 overs (Sidra Amin 25; Deepti Sharma 3-20, Renuka Singh Thakur 2-14) lost to India 112/3 in 14.1 overs (Smriti Mandhana 45, Shafali Verma 40; Syeda Aroob Shah 2-9, Nashra Sandhu 1-20) by seven wickets
