Birmingham: India Women produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Pakistan Women by 64 runs in their Group A encounter at Edgbaston in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Batting first, India posted a competitive 170-6 in 20 overs, led by a brilliant 68 off 44 balls from Smriti Mandhana. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 36 from 35 deliveries, while Richa Ghosh added a quick-fire 34 off 17 balls. Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 12 from 9 balls to help India finish strongly.
For Pakistan, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal claimed two wickets each, finishing with figures of 2-33 and 2-41, respectively.
In reply, Pakistan struggled to build momentum and were bowled out for 106 in 17 overs. Muneeba Ali top-scored with 41 off 35 balls, while Aliya Riaz made 18 and both Zafar and Feroza chipped in with 12 runs each.
India’s bowlers dominated the chase, with Deepti Sharma delivering a match-winning spell of 5 wickets for just 10 runs in four overs. Sree Charani provided excellent support by taking 3-21, while Shafali Verma picked up one wicket.
The emphatic victory handed India a valuable win in Group A and underlined their strong credentials in the tournament, while Pakistan will look to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures.
