LONDON: India made a perfect start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by 64 runs on Sunday. Harmanpreet Kaur's side dominated from start to finish in their opening Group A match at Edgbaston.
Mandhana and Kaur Lead the Charge
After India elected to bat first, opener Smriti Mandhana was the catalyst for the victory. She survived two dropped catches to score 68 runs off 44 balls, smashing nine fours and two sixes. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 36 runs with four boundaries, while wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh kept the pressure on Pakistan's bowlers with a quickfire 34, including five fours and a six.
Sharma's Five-Wicket Haul
Pakistan's run chase proved daunting as they crumbled against India's spinners. All-rounder Deepti Sharma finished with impressive figures of 5-10. She started Pakistan's downfall by running out opener Muneeba Ali, who top-scored with 41. Sharma also dismissed Gull Feroza and Ayesha Zafar, leaving Pakistan in disarray. Leg-spinner Sree Charani then turned the screw with three wickets, reducing Pakistan from 75-3 to 79-6. Sharma delivered the knockout blow by removing Nashra Sundhu and Tasmia Rubab.
Captains React
"Thank you so much to all the fans who came out to support us today. Whenever we need a performance, Smriti and Deepti are always there to push us forward," said Kaur. "It was a good pitch. We were under pressure in the Powerplay but my partnership with Smriti got us back in control. Every game is important. We are very happy with this start. We know that net run rate might help us towards the end of the group games."
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana added: "We are very disappointed with the batting performance. We've got to improve quickly because there is still a long way to go in the tournament. We are a young team, we are getting used to these situations. Catches win matches. Unfortunately, it was senior players dropping catches, and we need to get better. That cost us the match."
Record Crowd
The latest showdown between the bitter neighbours set a new attendance record for a group stage match at the Women's T20 World Cup. A crowd of 18,814 surpassed the previous record of 15,935, set during India's clash with Pakistan in Dubai in 2024.
Bangladesh Beat Netherlands
In Sunday's other match, Bangladesh survived a scare from the Netherlands, winning by six wickets at Edgbaston. The Dutch were held to 139-8, with captain Babette de Leede top-scoring on 50. Bangladesh openers Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter Dola (26) put on 67 to kick-start the chase. Although a collapse left them in trouble at 85-4, the victory was sealed off the first ball of the final over.
