• Source:JND

India could not have asked for a better start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign, beating Pakistan by 64 runs at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Smriti Mandhana set up the win with a superb 68 from 44 balls, while Richa Ghosh added a quick 34 off 17 deliveries to help India reach 170 for 6.

Pakistan never really got going in the chase. Muneeba Ali fought hard for her 41, but she received little support from the other batters as Pakistan were bowled out for 106 in 17 overs.

Deepti Sharma was the standout performer for India. After making a useful contribution with the bat, she ran through the Pakistan batting order with figures of 5 for 10 from four overs. It was the best bowling performance of her T20 International career and also saw her become the leading wicket-taker in Women's T20I history.

Shree Charani played her part as well, taking three wickets, while Shafali Verma chipped in with one.

The pitch offered some assistance to the spinners and India's bowlers made full use of it. Deepti, in particular, kept the Pakistan batters under pressure throughout her spell.

She also made an impact in the field with a direct-hit run-out that ended Muneeba's innings and effectively ended Pakistan's hopes of a comeback.

India's innings did not begin smoothly. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues were dismissed early, leaving the team at 18 for 2.

Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur then took control. The pair added 91 runs for the third wicket and rebuilt the innings with sensible yet positive batting.

Mandhana looked in excellent touch from the start. She timed the ball beautifully, found the gaps regularly and reached her half-century in just 34 balls. Her innings included nine fours and two sixes.

Harmanpreet supported her well with 36 runs and ensured India maintained momentum through the middle overs.

Pakistan were guilty of dropping Mandhana twice, mistakes that proved costly as she went on to play the defining innings of the match.

India lost a couple of wickets after Mandhana's dismissal, but Richa Ghosh's aggressive strokeplay in the final overs gave the innings a strong finish.

A 23-run over near the end pushed India's total well beyond Pakistan's reach.

In reply, Pakistan struggled from the beginning and never looked capable of threatening the target. India's bowlers stayed in control and wrapped up a comfortable victory to get their tournament off to a winning start.


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