India defeats Pakistan with a strong: Positively, India defeated Pakistan in front of a sizable crowd at the Dubai International Stadium to record their first victory of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. But in the end, they reached the target of 106 off 18.5 overs with six wickets remaining, so you couldn’t help but wonder whether they wasted an opportunity to raise their Net Run Rate.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, batted at No. 4 after only one match at No. 3, where she made a crucial 24-ball 29. However, prior to that, India’s top order adopted a slow-go strategy that allowed them to achieve no boundaries on the powerplay. Even though the surface was slow and it was difficult to smash boundaries, a well-coordinated Indian attack held Pakistan to 105/8 with the ball. They may be left lamenting this lost chance to undo the damage inflicted by New Zealand’s crushing victory in the first game.
Since India was on the edge of triumph when Harmanpreet retired injured, there would also be some doubts about their captain’s fitness. Struggling not to become stumped, she reached back into the crease and went off supporting her neck.
At the top of the order, Shafali Verma hit 32 off 35 balls, but both she and the normally fluid Smriti Mandhana struggled in the powerplay. In the first 17 overs of their run-chase, India could only muster three boundaries.
The Indian bowling team had earlier fired in sync against a Pakistani batting lineup that, albeit not without effort, failed to find the boundaries. After giving up 160 in their first match under the lights on a slow field, the Indian bowlers read the pitch effectively and, more crucially, reduced the rate of deliveries to further complicate the task of hitting.
India defeats Pakistan with a strong performance:
The majority of the wickets were taken by seamers Renuka Singh Thakur (1/23) and Arundhati Reddy (3/19), while off-spinners Deepti Sharma (1/24) and Shreyanka Patil (2/12) had sufficient grip to limit the Pakistani batters.
Leg-spinner Asha Sobhana (1/24) went for a few of boundaries but was smartly clamped by Richa Ghosh behind the stumps, setting up opposing captain Fatima Sana for a massive leg-break. But Asha had a hard time on the field, missing two easy catches, one of which was Arundhati’s bowling.
Gull Feroza (0) was bowled through the gate by Renuka’s inswinger after she delivered a tight opening over. After bowling two tight overs during the powerplay against New Zealand, Deepti recovered admirably. In an attempt to go on, Sidra Amin (8 off 11 balls) attempted a slog sweep, but the ball bounced off her pads and rolled onto the stumps.
During the powerplay, Pakistan managed to score 29/2, as the Indian bowlers tightened their grip on the opposing hitters. Shortly after the powerplay, Arundhati, who was named player of the match, scooped up Omaima Sohail. Shreyanka Patil’s wicket-maiden kept Pakistan at 41/4 at the midpoint. Nida Dar put up a valiant fight in the middle order, pushing Pakistan above 100, but it was insufficient.
