(Sports Desk) – India made a commanding start to their Women’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign, defeating Pakistan by 64 runs in their opening group match at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team controlled the game from the beginning after choosing to bat first. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a brilliant 68 off 44 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes, despite being dropped twice early in her innings. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added a steady 36, striking four boundaries, while Richa Ghosh provided late momentum with a quick 34 featuring five fours and a six.
Chasing a challenging total, Pakistan struggled against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Deepti Sharma produced a match-winning spell, taking 5 for 10, and also played a key role in the field by running out opener Muneeba Ali, who top-scored with 41.
Pakistan’s batting collapsed under pressure, slipping from 75 for 3 to 79 for 6, as leg-spinner Sree Charani supported well with three wickets. Sharma then sealed the victory by removing Nashra Sundhu and Tasmia Rubab.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised the team’s performance, highlighting contributions from Mandhana and Sharma, while noting the importance of maintaining momentum in the group stage. Pakistan captain Fatima Sana admitted her side’s batting and fielding errors, especially dropped catches, cost them the match.
The match also set a new attendance record for a Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage game, with 18,814 fans present, surpassing the previous mark of 15,935 set in 2024.
