Harmanpreet Kaur's India women's team began their Women's Asia Cup title defense with a dominant performance, crushing Pakistan by seven wickets in Dambulla on Friday, July 19. Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil shone with the ball, restricting a heavily revamped Pakistani batting lineup to a mere 108 runs. In reply, India chased down the target with seven wickets and 35 balls to spare.
Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana take the game away from Pakistan
The chase was a display of Indian batting power. Openers Shafali Verma (40 off 29) and Smriti Mandhana (45 off 31) stitched together a crucial 85-run partnership off just 57 balls, setting the tone for a convincing victory. They started cautiously but quickly accelerated, making the most of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay overs.
The duo found the boundary with ease, particularly against bowler Tuba Hassan. They plundered 15 runs off her final over of the powerplay, propelling India to a dominant 57-run total in the first six overs. After a brief period of consolidation, Smriti unleashed another flurry of boundaries, taking five off Hassan's second over for a quickfire 21 runs.
While attempting to finish the game swiftly, Smriti fell short of a well-deserved fifty, dismissed for 45 runs off 31 balls. Though Dayalan Hemalatha and Shafali Verma followed suit after brief cameos, Harmanpreet Kaur (5 off 11) and Jemimah Rodrigues (3 off 3) ensured India crossed the finish line comfortably with 35 balls to spare.
Deepti Sharma's magical spell devastates Pakistan batters
Earlier, Team India kicked off their Women's Asia Cup campaign with a dominant bowling performance against arch-rivals Pakistan. The experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma spearheaded the attack, claiming three crucial wickets for just 20 runs. Opting to bowl first, India wasted no time in making inroads. In just the second over, pacer Pooja Vastrakar dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Vastrakar struck again soon after, removing the other opener Muneeba Ali with a short ball, well-caught by Jemimah Rodrigues at cover. Pakistan were left reeling at 26 for 2 after just four overs.
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The Indian bowlers maintained the pressure, not allowing the Pakistani batters to settle down. Off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil joined the party, dismissing Aliya Riaz, with Rodrigues taking another catch at mid-wicket. Pakistan's captain, Nida Dar, fell victim to Deepti Sharma's bowling, caught by Dayalan Hemalatha at long-on after attempting a big shot over the long-on boundary. The wickets continued to tumble for Pakistan. Pacer Renuka Singh delivered a double blow in the final two balls of her spell, dismissing Sidra Amin and trapping Iram Javed leg before wicket. Pakistan were left struggling at 61 for 6 after just 13 overs. A brief fightback emerged from Tuba Hassan and Fatima Sana, who stitched together a 31-run partnership for the seventh wicket. However, their resistance was broken in the 18th over when Deepti Sharma had Hassan caught by Radha Yadav. The 18th over proved to be a nightmare for Pakistan's lower order. Deepti Sharma claimed two more wickets, dismissing Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu. While Sana was denied a run-out chance that could have given Deepti a hat-trick, she managed to smash two sixes off left-arm spinner Radha in the 19th over, helping Pakistan reach a below-par total of 108 runs.
India will next lock horns with UAE on July 21.
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