India crushed their opponents with a dominant victory, making light work of the modest target of 109. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana tore apart the Pakistani bowling attack, putting their team on course for a comfortable win.
Both batters feasted on the loose deliveries, finding the boundary with regularity. It seemed a 10-wicket win was on the cards, but a late flurry of wickets – two for young leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah and one for Nashra Sandhu – prevented a complete clean sweep.
All three Indian dismissals were in pursuit of quick runs. The Pakistani bowlers struggled with their line and length on a good batting wicket, consistently offering width and short deliveries that the Indian openers happily dispatched.
IMAGE: Jemimah Rodrigues celebrates after her catch which dismissed Muneeba Ali. Photograph: ACC / XEarlier, India dished out a fine bowling effort led by experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20) to bowl out arch-foes Pakistan for a sub-par 108 in their opening Women's Asia Cup match here on Friday.
India, after being asked to bowl first, tasted their first success in the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-on.
Vastrakar again struck soon, dismissing the other Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali with a short-pitched delivery, caught by Jemimah Rodrigues at cover, reducing Pakistan to 26 for 2 after the fourth over.
IMAGE: Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Photograph: ACC / XThe Indians didn't allow Pakistani batters to settle down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Aliya Riaz, caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.
The Pakistani batters struggled to score runs, let alone building partnerships as Indian bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals to derail their opponents.
The next to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar who was holed out to Dayalan Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti as the batter went for her customary huge heave over the straight boundary.
It was raining wickets for India as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice in the last two deliveries of her spell.
Renuka first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) and then trapped Iram Javed leg before in the next ball to reduce Pakistan to 61 for 6 in 13 overs.
Thereafter Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched together a valuable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan forward.
But their partnership finally came to an end in the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward point off Deepti.
IMAGE: Pakistan batters underperformed and failed to build any lasting partnerships. Photograph: ACC / XThe 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 chance.
Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for two sixes in the 19th over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.
