India kept their Women’s T20 World Cup hopes alive with a six-wicket win over rivals Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai.
After being thumped by New Zealand just two days ago, India were in a near must-win situation against Pakistan.
Pakistan won the toss and batted first but were limited to just 105 runs after some stunning bowling from India, including Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka Patil who took five wickets between them.
It was thought India would want to boost their net run rate, which was down at -2.9 after their defeat to New Zealand, but they were cautious with the run chase.
Shafali Verma survived an initial dismissal after the fifth ball of the chase, only for a review to go her way as the ball was not hitting the wickets.
That proved to be a crucial moment as Verma got India on their way as she scored 32 runs before Aliya Riaz made a good catch.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur appeared to be injured towards the end of the match
From there, India made steady progress and got over the line but they will be concerned ahead of their next game against Sri Lanka as captain Harmanpreet Kaur limped off injured near the end after slipping.
India and Pakistan both sit on two points in Group A, along with New Zealand and Australia but the Oceania sides have played one game less and face each other on Tuesday.
“As a unit, we were very disciplined and followed the plans,” said Smriti Mandhana.
“We did think about net run-rate but we didn’t want to end up losing our wickets and chasing a big run. But definitely the net run rate is in our head.”
Group A standings after India beat Pakistan at Women’s T20 World Cup
India beat rivals but concern over captain
Pakistan were stifled by fast bowler Arundhati Reddy (3-19) and off-spinner Shreyanka Patil (2-12) to score a modest 105-8 on a slow wicket at the Dubai International Stadium with seasoned Nida Dar top-scoring with 28 off 34 balls.
India reached 108-4 in 18.5 overs as captain Kaur made a calm 29 off 24 balls before retiring hurt late in the chase.
With only two needed for victory Kaur briefly lost her balance but regained her ground as wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali missed a stumping opportunity.
India will be concerned about the fitness of their captain Harmanpreet Kaur
Kaur clutched the back of her neck as she walked back to the dugout before Sajeevan Sajana reached the target with a boundary.
Despite the win, India is still fourth in the group with a poor net run rate of -1.217 behind third-place Pakistan, who beat Sri Lanka in its opening game and has a net run rate of 0.555.
India had squeezed Pakistan to 7-71 in the 15th over despite Asha Sobhana dropping two easy catches off Muneeba Ali (17) and captain Fatima Sana (13). Muneeba’s struggling knock of 26 balls finally ended when she got stumped off Patil’s wide ball.
Sana smashed two boundaries but was brilliantly snapped by wicketkeeper Richa Gosh, who plucked a one-handed catch over her head behind the wicket to give some consolation to leg-spinner Sobhana (1-24) for her early lapse in the field.
India had a brilliant fielding display, which was key to their win
Dar held the innings together in the death overs with a 28-run partnership with Syeda Aroob Shah, who scored 14, before Reddy had Dar clean-bowled in the final over.
India’s batting powerhouse was over-cautious against Pakistan’s spin-heavy bowling attack in their run chase. Shafali Verma, who top-scored with 32 off 35 balls, successfully overturned an lbw decision against her through television referral early in her knock but India’s top-order batters struck only five boundaries in their entire run-chase.
Sana (2-23) picked up two late wickets off successive balls when Jemimah Rodrigues (23) and Gosh both were caught behind. Sana came close to having Deepti Sharma lbw in her final over but the onfield decision was overturned by the third umpire when TV replays suggested the batter had got a thick inside edge.
India are only fourth in Group A after two matches due to their net run rate
What’s next for each side at Women’s T20 World Cup?
India next face Sri Lanka on Wednesday at 3pm in another big match for both sides in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
As for Pakistan, they are in action on Friday against defending champions Australia at 3pm on Friday, with every match from the tournament live on Sky Sports Cricket.
Watch every match of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports, concluding with the final in Dubai on Sunday October 20. You can also stream the tournament and more with NOW