The Indian women’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in their opening Group A match. This win came at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka on Friday. Consequently, India climbed to the top of Group A with two points from one match.
Pakistan, ranked eighth, opted to bat first after winning the toss. They were all out for 108 in 19.2 overs, with Sidra Amin top-scoring with 25 runs. Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma was the leading wicket-taker, securing three wickets for 20 runs. Pooja Vastrakar was instrumental early on, dismissing Pakistani openers Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali in successive overs. Consequently, Pakistan struggled throughout the match, with only brief resistance from Tuba Hassan (22 off 19) and Fatima Sana (22 off 16). Together, they added 31 runs, providing a glimmer of hope for their team.
In response, Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma dominated, putting up an 85-run partnership. Mandhana scored 45 off 31 balls, hitting five boundaries, before getting caught in the 10th over. Verma added 40 off 29 balls before getting stumped. Despite losing Dayalan Hemalatha for 14, Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur ensured a comfortable finish, completing the chase in 14.1 overs with 35 balls to spare.
India will next face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday.
Scores: Pakistan 108/10 in 19.2 overs (Sidra Amin 25, Fatima Sana 22; Deepti Sharma 3/20) lost to India 109/3 in 14.1 overs (Smriti Mandhana 45, Shafali Verma 40; Syeda Aroob Shah 2/9) by seven wickets.
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