India Secures Maiden Win Against Pakistan

Women’s T20 World Cup: India Fend Off Resurgent Pakistan to Secure Maiden Win

In the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India achieved their maiden victory by defeating Pakistan by six wickets. The match took place on Sunday (October 6) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After a disappointing 58-run loss to Sophie Devine’s New Zealand in their opening match, India made a remarkable comeback.

With this victory, India’s net run rate improved from -2.900 to -1.22, yet it remains lower than Australia’s +1.908 and New Zealand’s +2.900. India aims to further enhance their NRR when they face Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka on September 9. Meanwhile, Pakistan remains third despite their loss against India.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan struggled to find their rhythm, finishing with 105 runs for the loss of eight wickets. Indian bowler Renuka Singh Thakur initiated a stellar start by dismissing Gull Feroza for a four-ball duck in the first over. Sidra Amin and Omaima Sohail could not reach double digits as Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy took their wickets respectively.

Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Pakistan’s only centurion in Women’s T20Is, attempted to stabilize the innings but was stumped by Shreyanka Patil after scoring 17 runs off 26 balls. Nida Dar contributed a steady 28 off 34 balls before Reddy sent her back. At the halfway mark, Pakistan found themselves at 41 for four.

In the 14th over, Fatima Sana tried to inject momentum into the innings with back-to-back fours but soon fell to Asha Sobhana, thanks to a stunning catch from Richa Ghosh. Syed Aroob Shah, replacing the injured Diana Baig, contributed 14 runs off 17 balls, adding vital runs during the death overs. For India, Reddy was the standout performer with figures of 4-0-19-3, while Shreyanka Patil claimed two wickets for 12 runs.

India faced challenges during their chase. Smriti Mandhana struggled and was dismissed for just seven runs off 16 balls. Following this, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues built a crucial 43-run partnership for the second wicket. Shafali faced difficulties initially but began to accelerate her scoring before falling to Sohail.

Harmanpreet scored 29 runs to bring India closer to victory but had to retire hurt due to neck discomfort. Ultimately, Sajeevan Sajana hit the winning four, allowing India to chase down the target with seven balls remaining.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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