India maintained their all-win record against Pakistan as they inflicted a 88-run defeat on their archrivals in their Women’s World Cup clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
After being sent in to bat, India posted 247 all out, with Harleen Deol top-scoring with 46 and Richa Ghosh adding a brisk 35. However, most other batters failed to convert their starts on a sluggish surface.
In response, Pakistan crumbled early, slipping to 26/3 by the eighth over and never managing to recover. They were eventually bowled out for 159 in 43 overs with Kranti Gaud and Deepti Sharma taking 3 wickets each.
The other key contributor for Pakistan was Natalia Pervaiz (33) after opener Sidra Amin battled hard for a 106-ball 81.
In the eighth over, seamer Kranti Gaud had Sadaf Shamas caught off her own bowling, leaving them at 20/2 after Deepti Sharma had run out Muneeba Ali.
Pakistan reached 101/4 after 30 overs and Indian bowlers struck at regular intervals to leave Pakistan tottering at 150/8.
Earlier, after Indian hitters found it difficult to get going on a slow track, Harleen Deol’s cool 46-run knock and Richa Ghosh’s energetic cameo of 35 pushed India to a respectable 247.
While Ghosh’s rapid 20-ball performance brought India close to the 250-run milestone, Deol’s 65-ball knock offered some steadiness in the middle overs.
In a game that was stop-start and even interrupted for fumigation, India’s top order struggled on a slow surface after being sent in to bat after the match referee mistakenly judged the toss in Pakistan’s advantage.
Following the example set by the Indian men’s team during their successful Asia Cup campaign, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her Pakistani counterpart Fatima Sana did not shake hands at the toss.
Additionally, a number of near misses and confusions occurred in the middle, which further slowed the momentum.
India got off to a quick start thanks to opener Pratika Rawal (31) who hit Diana Baig for three straight fours. However, the top order was put under early pressure as Smriti Mandhana (23) fell inside the powerplay once more.
With tight lines and deft pace changes, the disciplined Pakistani bowlers kept the batters on a leash, preventing them from having any rhythm and chipping away at regular intervals.
Pacers Sana (2/38) and Baig (4/69) combined for six wickets, causing the most damage. With her attempted cut shot grazing the top of the off stump, Rawal was next to go.
After putting up a 39-run partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (19), Deol displayed poise by adding 45 runs with Jemimah Rodrigues (32).
Harleen, who had done the hard work by playing herself in, wasted the opportunity to push on in an attempt to score a boundary, while Harmanpreet fell to an inside edge just when she appeared poised.
With Pakistan applying constant pressure, Jemimah was the next to leave for 32 after receiving an early reprieve on two after getting caught off a no-ball.
The seasoned duo of Sneh Rana (20) and Deepti Sharma (25) stabilized the innings with a 42-run partnership towards the conclusion.
However, Sana and Baig came back in the last overs to dismiss both and crush any thoughts of a great finish, just as India appeared ready for a late flourish.
Richa broke free by hitting three fours, including a daring sweep, and a couple of sixes as Pakistan suffocated India with five wickets in the death overs.
