The Women's T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday turned out to be a spectacle. India rode on Jemimah Rodrigues' superb fifty and a late onslaught by youngster Richa Ghosh to down Pakistan by seven wickets.
Pakistan Encounters A Jittery Start, Maroof Steps Up
Pakistan looked in deep trouble when they had lost four wickets with just 68 runs on the board inside 12 overs. The run rate remained below six and their ship seemed to be sinking. But skipper Bismah Maroof stepped up and played a superb knock of an unbeaten 68 from just 44 deliveries. This helped guide Pakistan to a competitive total of 149/4 in their 20 overs. It wouldn't have been possible without Ayesha Naseem's support, who remained unbeaten on 43 from 25 deliveries and was also involved in an 81-run stand with Maroof.
For India, the left-arm spinner was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/21 in her four overs. Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar also stepped up with a wicket each.
India Gets Off To An Excellent Start
The chase wasn't going to be easy for India as it was a competitive target and Pakistan had a quality bowling lineup as well. But they got an early start as the openers put 38 runs on the board, and then Shafali Verma and Rodrigues built a decent 27-run stand for the second wicket as well. But India lost the wickets of Verma and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in quick succession, which brought Pakistan back into the game.
Jemimah Rodrigues And Richa Ghosh Step Up To The Occasion
The game was equally poised with India at 93/3 in the 14th over. They still needed 57 runs to win from 39 deliveries, and it wasn't an easy task either. But 19-year-old Richa Ghosh showed her talent and determination as she took on the Pakistani bowlers after her arrival at the crease. After her onslaught, Rodrigues began to open her arms.
The duo put their feet on the accelerator in the last four overs of the game and finished the match with an over and seven wickets to spare. They enjoyed a stand of 58 runs between them, with Rodrigues remaining unbeaten at 53 from 38 deliveries, and Ghosh scoring 31 from 20 deliveries.
As far as Pakistan's bowling goes, Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal, who registered figures of 4-0-15-2 and 4-0-25-1 respectively, performed well. The other bowlers turned out to be quite expensive, which didn't help Pakistan's cause at all.
This victory helped India earn some crucial points in this group stage, and Rodrigues was adjudged the Player of the Match for her superb batting effort.
Brief Scores
Pakistan Women 149/4 in 20 overs (Maroof 68*, Naseem 43*; Yadav 2/21)
India Women 151/3 in 19 Overs (Rodrigues 53*, Ghosh 31*; Sandhu 2/15)
India Women won by seven wickets.