Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka Patil has shined as India has secured their first win
Pakistan scored 105/8 in 20 overs, where as India scored 108/4 in 18.5 overs.
So, finally India beat Pakistan by six wickets.
India marked their entry in the T20 World Cup 2024 with a six-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium.
The win came on their second attempt, thanks to the outstanding bowling performance by Arundhati Reddy, who claimed 3 for 19, and Shreyanka Patil, who took 2 for 12, restricting Pakistan to a total of 105 for 8.
Harmanpreet Kaur played a pivotal role in the run chase, scoring a vital 29 runs to guide India home with seven balls to spare.
Despite the win, India has some concerns heading into their next match, particularly regarding their captain’s fitness after she retired hurt due to a neck injury late in the game.
Additionally, India’s catching was below par, and their conservative approach to the chase didn’t help their Net Run Rate.
In contrast to their opening match against New Zealand, India started strongly with the ball despite fielding in the sweltering afternoon heat of Dubai.
Renuka Thakur, filling in for the injured Pooja Vastrakar, struck with the last ball of her first over, delivering a powerful inswinger that dismantled Gull Feroza’s off-stump.
Muneeba Ali attempted to adhere to Pakistan’s new strategy of maximizing the Power Play, hitting two boundaries off Thakur in a 12-run third over.
However, that momentum quickly faded as Sidra Amin fell to Deepti Sharma, dragging a sweep shot onto her stumps.
By the end of the Power Play, Pakistan had a respectable score of 29, but they faced a tough challenge from India’s disciplined bowling attack in the subsequent overs.
Reddy nearly dismissed Muneeba with the second ball of her spell, but Asha Sobhana dropped an easy catch at short third man.
Just three balls later, Reddy forced Omaima Sohail to chip a length delivery straight to mid-off.
Meanwhile, Shreyanka Patil capitalized on Muneeba’s eagerness to find boundaries, drawing her out of the crease with a flighted delivery that resulted in a stumping.
This wicket-maiden left Pakistan reeling at 41 for 4, having faced 38 dot balls by the midway point of their innings, forcing the experienced Nida Dar to stabilize the innings.
Dar ended a 38-ball drought without a boundary by sweeping Thakur for four but continued to lose partners at the other end.
Reddy made her mark again by trapping Aliya Riaz LBW.
India’s fielding issues persisted as Sobhana dropped another straightforward catch, allowing Fatima Sana to capitalize with back-to-back fours off Sobhana.
However, the leg spinner redeemed herself by dismissing Sana, aided by Ghosh’s quick reflexes behind the stumps.
When Shreyanka dismissed Tuba Hassan, Pakistan found themselves at 71 for 7 in the 15th over.
They managed to bat through their full quota of overs thanks to Dar anchoring the innings with a steady 28 runs, while Syeda Aroob and Nashra Sandhu each hit a boundary at the end to push the total beyond 100.
India’s innings got off to a slower start than Pakistan’s, losing Smriti Mandhana for just 7 runs off 16 balls and accumulating only 25 runs in the PowerPlay.
Interestingly, they sent Jemimah Rodrigues in at one-drop after only one game back at No. 3, taking over for captain Harmanpreet.
Despite the challenging conditions for boundary-hitting, Shafali Verma and Rodrigues kept the scoreboard moving, with Verma hitting India’s first boundary in the eighth over and adding another two overs later, bringing the score to 50 for 1 at the halfway mark.
While Rodrigues targeted the shorter square boundaries with her sweeping, Verma opted to challenge the longer straight boundary against right-arm offspinner Omaima, ultimately getting caught at long-on for 32 runs off 35 balls.
This marked the first time she scored less than a run-a-ball after facing at least 30 deliveries in a T20I innings.
With the asking rate still manageable, Rodrigues and Harmanpreet brought India within 26 runs of victory with five overs remaining.
Sana then sparked a brief comeback by dismissing Rodrigues for 23 off 28 balls and Ghosh off consecutive deliveries.
However, with Deepti Sharma by her side, Harmanpreet steered India closer to the finish line before retiring hurt with two runs needed due to an apparent neck sprain.
Leave a Reply