Finance
Fantastic unbeaten knocks by Jemimah Rodrigues (53 not out off 38 balls) and Richa Ghosh (31 not out off 20 balls) led India to a seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 at Newlands Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Pakistan posted a competitive total of 149-4 in the stipulated 20 overs, thanks to brilliant performances by Bismah Maroof (68 not out off 55) and Ayesha Naseem (43 not out off 25).
With Smriti Mandhana out injured and Shafali Verma chasing 150, India was led by Yastika Bhatia. The pair put on 38 runs for the first wicket before Yastike was caught by Sadia Iqbal in the final over of the Powerplay.
Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues rebuilt, but Pakistan struck in the 10th over with a stunning catch close to the ropes to dismiss Verma. While Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah fought back briefly, Nashra Sandhu returned Kaur in the 14th over to give Pakistan a huge boost.
However, Jemimah and Richa took over from there and led India’s charge in the run chase. For the most part of their innings, they used a perfect combination of aggression and touch play to put pressure on Pakistan.
Richa, who won the Under-19 World Cup last month, decided to let go in the 18th over, hitting medium pacer Aiman Anwer for three consecutive fours to bring the equation down to 14 off 12.
Rodrigues, on the other hand, found her range and pulled, swept, and then hit the winning runs by hitting a boundary through extra cover, which also brought up her half-century as India smashed 150 with an over to spare.
Earlier, Pakistan, which won the toss and chose to bat first, lost opener Javeria Khan in the second over to Deepti Sharma.
Bismah Maroof and Muneeba Ali led the attack on Deepti to help Pakistan reach 39/1 at the end of the Powerplay, their highest total against India in the first six overs of a women’s T20I.
However, Radha Yadav quickly dismissed Muneeba and Pooja Vastrakar dismissed Nida Dar for a duck to restore India’s lead. The in-form Sidra Amin joined Maroof in the middle and the duo put on 25 for the fourth wicket before a freak dismissal saw Amin dismissed by Radha.
Ayesha Naseem’s entry gave Pakistan’s innings a boost, as she raced off the blocks with some lusty blows. In the 16th over, Maroof held one end up while Ayesha charged from the other, propelling Pakistan past the 100-run mark.
Maroof followed soon after, as the duo put on a partnership that put India on the back foot. The unbeaten 81-run stand helped Pakistan reach 149/4 after 20 overs. Pakistan set India a challenging target of 58 runs in the final five overs.
Brief scores: Pakistan Women 149-4 in 20 Overs (Bismah Maroof 68 not out, Ayesha Naseem 43 not out; Radha Yadav 2/21) lost to India Women 151-3 in 19 Overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 53 not out, Richa Ghosh 31 not out; Nashra Sandhu 2/15) by 7 wickets.
Source:OCN
