Women’s Asia Cup: India Cruises to Victory Against Pakistan to Kick Off Title Defence
India’s Bowlers and Openers Shine in Comfortable Win
20.07.2024: The excitement of the “Greatest Rivalry” between India and Pakistan often builds intense anticipation, but the on-field action sometimes falls short of the hype. On Friday in Dambulla, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India comfortably defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets, starting their Women’s Asia Cup title defence on a high note.
Match Overview
Pakistan, hopeful of a competitive match, won the toss and chose to bat first. Despite a promising start, Pakistan’s innings struggled, managing only 108 runs on a pitch conducive to batting. Deepti Sharma, with three crucial wickets, was named Player of the Match. The game’s outcome was essentially decided during the powerplays, both in Pakistan’s batting and India’s run-chase.
Bowling Highlights
- Pooja Vastrakar: Continued her impressive form, dismissing both Pakistani openers early with her hard-length deliveries. This early breakthrough set the tone for Pakistan’s struggle.
- Renuka Singh Thakur: Though wicketless in the powerplay, she bounced back in the 13th over, taking two wickets in her final deliveries. Her performance was a testament to her hard work with Troy Cooley at the NCA, aiming to improve after a challenging home season against South Africa.
Fielding and Bowling Performance
India’s ground-fielding showed room for improvement, but their catching was solid. Radha Yadav exemplified this with an impressive effort in the 18th over, stopping a boundary attempt and executing a direct hit to dismiss Syeda Aroob Shah. Such efforts are what Harmanpreet Kaur will want consistently from her team.
Batting Brilliance
- Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma: The opening duo quickly put India in control, racing to 57/0 by the end of the powerplay. Their 85-run partnership was crucial in breaking Pakistan’s resolve.
- Smriti Mandhana: Despite not scoring a half-century, she reached a significant milestone, becoming India’s leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is with 3365 runs, surpassing Harmanpreet Kaur.
Match Conclusion
India’s chase was almost a formality once Mandhana and Shafali set the tone with aggressive intent. Although India lost three wickets towards the end, they secured a comfortable victory, reiterating their position as favourites to win their 8th Women’s Asia Cup title.
Keywords: Women’s Asia Cup, India vs Pakistan, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Harmanpreet Kaur, cricket, T20I, match review.
Meta Description: India kickstarts their Women’s Asia Cup title defence with a comfortable 7-wicket win against Pakistan. Read how Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma led India to victory.