Women’s T20 WC 2024: India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets in a hard fought encounter
India put up a strong fight and defeated Pakistan to claim their first victory in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. On October 6, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team secured a six-wicket victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, bouncing back from their previous 58-run loss to Sophie Devine’s New Zealand in the first game.
India’s net run rate increased to -1.22 after the victory, which is higher than their previous -2.900, but still lower than Australia’s +1.908 and the White Ferns’ +2.900. India aims to increase their Net Run Rate against Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka on September 9 in Dubai. Despite losing to India, Pakistan maintained their position in third place.
Also read: Women’s T20 WC: Defending champs Australia ease to 6-wicket win over SL
Pakistan could only manage 105/8 in 20 overs
Choosing to bat first, Pakistan struggled to make an impact and only managed to score 105 runs, losing eight wickets in the process. Renuka Singh Thakur got India off to a superb start by taking out Gull Feroza with a four-ball duck in the opening over. Sidra Amin and Omaima Sohail were unable to score more than nine runs each before being dismissed by Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy, respectively.
Nida Dar stabilized Pakistan’s position by scoring 28 runs off 34 balls before being out bowled by Reddy. In the 14th over, Fatima Sana attempted to boost the innings by hitting two consecutive fours off leg-spinner Asha Sobhana. However, Sobhana quickly let her go because of an amazing catch by Richa Ghosh.
Syed Aroob Shah, replacing the injured Diana Baig, scored 14 runs off 17 deliveries in the final overs, contributing vital runs for Pakistan. Reddy was the top performer for India, taking 3 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs.
India struggled but somehow managed to chase down the target with seven balls left
India had their fair share of troubles in their run-chase. Smriti Mandhana struggled throughout and got out after scoring seven off 16 balls. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal dismissed her after Mandhana chipped one straight into the hands of Tuba Hassan. From there on, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues carried the innings with a handy partnership of 43 runs for the second wicket.
Harmanpreet made 29 runs to bring India close, but had to step out due to neck discomfort. Sajeevan Sajana, who came in for Pooja Vastrakar, sealed the win for India by hitting a crucial boundary as they successfully completed their chase with seven balls remaining.
