Cape Town: India wins Women’s T20 World Cup India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in the first match. Batting first, Pakistan scored 149 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs, while India overcame the target with the loss of just three wickets with one over to spare.
Jemima Rodriguez’s (53*) fifty and Shafali Verma’s (33) and Richa Ghosh’s performances were the strength of India. India overcame the fatigue of being a little pale in bowling with a magnificent batting and reached victory.
Not a bad total for Pakistan (149/4 -20 Overs)
After winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan lost their first wicket when they were on the scoreboard with 10 runs. Javeria Khan (8) was evicted by Deepti Sharma.
But Muniba Ali (12) and captain Bisma Maroof (68) for the second wicket managed to recover from the initial setback. When Muniba was dismissed by Radha Yadav, Pakistan’s scoreboard read 42 runs in 6.5 overs.
It looked like Pakistan’s score would be limited to 120, but it was Ayesha Naseem’s performance that miscalculated India’s calculation. Ayesha remained unbeaten on 43 runs off 25 balls including 2 fours and a six each. Indian bowlers faltered in front of Ayesha, who swung the bat in 172 strikerates.
Good start for India
Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma opened for India in Smriti Mandana’s absence. Both of them created a partnership of 38 runs for the first wicket. India first lost Yastika who scored 17 runs off 20 balls. India’s loss of Shafali, who played well, was a setback. Shafali left the field with 33 runs off 25 balls including four boundaries.
Captain Harman Preet Kaur and Jemima Rodrigues added runs for the third wicket. Harmanpreet returned while trying to score runs at a fast pace. The Indian captain scored 16 runs in 12 balls including 2 boundaries.
Jamima and Richa as the winning artists
Jamima Rodrigues (53) and Richa Ghosh (31) combined for the fourth wicket to give India a win. Jemima hit 8 boundaries in 38 balls while Richa’s performance included 5 boundaries in 20 balls. With this, India won with one to spare. The duo created an unbeaten partnership of 54 runs for the fourth wicket.
