IND vs PAK: India continued their dominance over Pakistan at the Women’s Asia Cup, winning their opening match in a windy Dambulla by seven wickets. Excellent bowling by the defending champions bowled Pakistan out for 108. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s breezy 85-run opening combination helped India comfortably chase down the goal in 14.1 overs. IND vs PAK matches always draw significant attention, and this one was no different.
India currently leads the IND vs PAK series 6-1 in wins and 3-3 overall in Twenty20 Internationals.
Vastrakar’s Short-Ball Strategy
In the lead-up to the Asia Cup, India bowled five fast overs in the powerplay with Renuka Singh back in the playing XI after missing the two previous Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa. It set Pakistan back early, especially due to Pooja Vastrakar. IND vs PAK games often see strategies like this.
She attempted a short ball to start her first over and got hit for a boundary on the second delivery, but she stuck with it and it worked. She first dismissed Gull Feroza, who opened instead of Sidra Amin, after mistiming a pull towards mid-on, allowing Harmanpreet Kaur to make the catch. In her fourth over of the session, Vastrakar removed Muneeba Ali for a run-a-ball 11 with another short one; the batter was on her toes to upper cut but top-edged to Jemimah Rodrigues in the covers, leaving Pakistan at 26 for 2.
Dominant Opening Partnership
Shafali and Mandhana, India’s openers, got them off to a flying start, hitting 57 in the powerplay, a sharp contrast to Pakistan’s innings. The same surface was used earlier in the day for Nepal’s tournament opener, which they won over UAE, but the duo swiftly adjusted to the slower pace in the pursuit. IND vs PAK encounters are often defined by such dynamic partnerships.
Pakistan worked hard to get their line and length correct, and as a result, they gave away boundaries with both over-pitched and short deliveries. Shafali scored the first of six fours with a flip to square leg in the first over. Short balls from left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal were sliced through the covers and dragged through midwicket. She also punished fast bowler Fatima Sana with two fours in her second over, the sixth overall, bringing her total to 35 off 22 at the end of the powerplay.
Shafali and Mandhana’s Impact
Mandhana, who had been in excellent form in the previous home series against South Africa, hit cover drives accurately and smashed from the backfoot to find boundaries. After a boundary-free seventh over, she hit five fours against leg spinner Tuba Hassan, moving from 23 off 20 to 43 off 26. She was bowled by another legspinner Syed Aroob Shah in the tenth over, caught by Aliya Riaz at short midwicket, five runs short of her 25th T20I half-century. IND vs PAK matches often witness such stellar performances.
Shafali batted for 29 balls and scored 40 runs before being bowled by Syeda, Pakistan’s most productive bowler with 2 for 9 in three overs. India strolled home shortly after.
Pakistan’s Struggles and Deepti’s Comeback
Pakistan were 53 for 3 after 10 overs, with Sidra Amin on 24 off 30 and Nida Dar on four runs per ball. There were no devils on the surface, and the spinners weren’t getting much turn either. Pakistan wanted their skipper to hold on and form a big partnership, but that didn’t happen. IND vs PAK games often see one team struggle with partnerships.
After 11 overs, Deepti Sharma, who had surrendered ten runs in her maiden over, was called into the attack and struck right away. Dar came down the track looking for a maximum, but her attempted lofted shot bounced off the toe end of her bat and found D Hemalatha at long-on.
Renuka took off two wickets in two overs, dismissing Sidra for a 35-ball 25 and trapping Iram Javed lbw first ball, leaving Pakistan at 61 for 6 in the 13th over. Tuba and Sana put up some fight, scoring 22 runs each, but it wasn’t enough. IND vs PAK matches often have these moments of fight from Pakistan.
Deepti’s final over resulted in three more wickets for India, including a run-out caused by Radha Yadav’s brilliant throw at the striker’s end. Deepti’s strong comeback resulted in a 20-for-3 record, earning her the Player of the Match honour in this IND vs PAK clash.
