BIRMINGHAM (Web Desk) – A composed half-century from Smriti Mandhana guided India Women to a competitive total of 170-6 against Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Opting to bat first, India made an explosive start as Shafali Verma struck a six off the opening delivery. However, Pakistan struck back immediately when Sadia Iqbal dismissed her in the same over. India’s early troubles deepened when Jemimah Rodrigues departed for just one run, leaving the side at 18-2.
Mandhana then rebuilt the innings alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur, with the pair stitching together a vital 91-run partnership to stabilise the batting effort. The duo guided India past the 50-run mark in the ninth over before taking the total beyond 100 with calculated aggression.
Mandhana led the charge with an impressive 68 off 44 deliveries, smashing nine boundaries and two sixes while registering her 34th T20 International half-century. Her innings came to an end when Rameen Shamim claimed her wicket.
Harmanpreet contributed a valuable 36 from 35 balls before being dismissed by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.
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India accelerated in the closing stages of the innings as Richa Ghosh blasted 34 runs off just 17 balls, while Deepti Sharma chipped in to push the total beyond the 170-run mark.
Pakistan’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Sadia Iqbal and Fatima Sana emerging as the most successful bowlers by taking two wickets each.
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