Women’s Asia Cup: India thrashes Pakistan by 7 wickets

DAMBULLAH: Indian women’s cricket team began their 2024 Women’s Asia Cup campaign by defeating Pakistan by seven wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

The Women in Blue chose to bowl first after winning the toss. The Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to just 108 runs right off the bat.

Read more: Suryakumar takes over as India’s T20 captain ahead of Pandya

Deepti Sharma led the bowling attack as she dismantled Pakistan’s batting lineup effectively. Pooja Vastrakar and Shreyanka Patil supported her well, each claiming two wickets and preventing Pakistan from building substantial partnerships.

India’s response with the bat was equally dominant. The opening partnership of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana took the Pakistani bowlers to the task. Verma scored 40 off 29 balls, while Mandhana contributed 45 runs off 31 balls.

Despite a brief hiccup after the openers’ dismissals, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues ensured no further setbacks, guiding India to victory with 35 balls remaining.

Pakistan struggled early in the match, with Sidra Amin offering resistance with the bat, along with Tuba Hassan and Fatima Sana.

Harmanpreet Kaur stated she was happy with her team’s performance. She praised her bowlers for their efforts and commended the aggressive intent shown by her openers during the chase.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s captain Nida Dar conceded her team’s shortcomings. Despite the loss, she remained optimistic about her team’s prospects in the tournament.

Read more: Former Sri Lankan cricketer shot dead outside home

Dar vowed to bounce back strongly in their upcoming matches against Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Women’s Asia Cup,