Strong contenders India started their women's T20 Asia Cup title defence on a rousing note, demolishing Pakistan by seven wickets in Dambulla on Friday.
Pakistan were bundled out for a below-par 108 after opting to bat first. India then chased down the target with as many as 35 balls to spare.
Chasing 109, India’s openers Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) toyed with the Pakistan attack from the word go.
It was an aggressive display of batting by both as they mostly dealt in fours and sixes. The pair hit two fours and a six off Tuba Hassan to collect 15 runs in the sixth over.
The seventh over, bowled by Hassan, yielded 21 runs, Mandhana hitting the bowler for five boundaries.
Pakistan finally tasted success in the 10th over in the form of Mandhana, who was caught by Aliya Riaz at mid-wicket off the bowling of Syeda Aroob Shah.
Shafali departed in the 12th over, but by then she and Mandhana had already done the damage.
Dayalan Hemalatha (14) did not last long, caught by Hassan off Nashra Sandhu.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then ensured a comfortable victory for the title holders.
Earlier, India, led by experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20), dished out a fine effort with the ball.
Asked to bowl first, they tasted their first success in the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet at mid-on.
Vastrakar struck again, dismissing the other Pakistan opener, Muneeba Ali, with a short-pitched delivery, caught by Rodrigues at cover, reducing Pakistan to 26 for 2 after the fourth over.
The Indians did not allow the Pakistan batters to settle down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Riaz, having her caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.
Pakistan’s batters struggled to score runs, let alone build partnerships as India’s bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals.
The next to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar, who holed out to Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti, as the batter went for her customary heave over the straight boundary.
Wickets continued to fall as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice off the last two deliveries of her spell.
She first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) and then trapped Iram Javed leg before with the next delivery to reduce Pakistan to 61 for 6 in 13 overs.
Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched a valuable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan forward, but their partnership came to an end in the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward point off Deepti.
The 18th over, bowled by Deepti, saw three dismissals -- Hassan, Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu.
While Hassan and Sandhu fell to Deepti, Shah was run-out, denying the India spinner a hat-trick.
Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for two sixes in the 19th over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.
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