India Women vs Pakistan Women, 7th Match, Group A | ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 | INDW vs PAKW

India’s Bowlers Restrict Pakistan to Set Up Six-Wicket Win in Dubai

After a heavy defeat against New Zealand in their opening match, India Women bounced back in style by defeating Pakistan Women by six wickets in their Group A clash at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024. The victory kept their semi-final hopes alive, as disciplined bowling and sensible batting ensured the crucial win.

Pakistan's Struggles with the Bat
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat, but struggled from the outset as Renuka Singh dismissed Gull Feroza in the very first over. Deepti Sharma joined in to send Sidra Amin (8) back to the pavilion, and with early breakthroughs, Pakistan found themselves under pressure.

Arundhati Reddy was the standout performer, taking 3/19. Her first scalp, Omaima Sohail, fell to a well-planned slower delivery, resulting in a simple catch to Shafali Verma. Pakistan was struggling at 34/3 after seven overs, and despite Nida Dar's efforts to stabilize the innings, Muneeba Ali’s attempt to accelerate ended with her being stumped off Shreyanka Patil for 17.

Reddy continued her impressive spell, trapping Aliya Riaz lbw for four, leaving Pakistan reeling at 52/5. Captain Fatima Sana attempted to lead a fightback with back-to-back boundaries off Asha Sobhana, but was dismissed for 13 after a sharp catch by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh.

Shreyanka Patil further dented Pakistan’s hopes, dismissing Tuba Hassan for a duck with a tight spell of 2/12. Pakistan’s innings ended with a bit of momentum as Nida Dar (28) fell in the final over, but Nashra Sandhu added six crucial runs off the last two balls to reach 105/8.

India's Steady Chase
Chasing a modest target of 106, India started cautiously. Smriti Mandhana was unable to find her rhythm and fell for seven off 16 balls, caught off Sadia Iqbal. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues then worked on building a solid partnership. The pair showed restraint initially, before raising the tempo, but just as Verma seemed set to take control, she was caught for 32 while trying to clear the boundary off Omaima's bowling, leaving India at 61/2.

With the memory of their net run-rate damage against New Zealand still fresh, India chose not to take unnecessary risks. Rodrigues fell for 23 while attempting a big shot off Fatima Sana, and Ghosh followed next ball for a duck, caught behind, giving Pakistan a glimmer of hope.

Deepti Sharma, however, handled the hat-trick ball calmly, and she, alongside Harmanpreet Kaur, took India close to the finish line. Unfortunately, Kaur was forced to retire hurt with two runs required, bringing Sajana Sajeevan to the crease. Sajeevan sealed the win in style by striking her first ball for four, completing the chase in 18.5 overs at 108/4.

Summary
India’s win was largely set up by the excellent bowling of Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka Patil, who combined to dismantle Pakistan’s batting. In response, the batting contributions from Verma and Kaur ensured a steady chase, which keeps India firmly in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

Scores in Brief
India vs Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Pakistan: 105/8 in 20 overs (Nida Dar 28, Muneeba Ali 17; Arundhati Reddy 3/19, Shreyanka Patil 2/12)
India: 108/4 in 18.5 overs (Shafali Verma 32, Harmanpreet Kaur 29 retired hurt; Fatima Sana 2/23, Omaima Sohail 1/17)

Result: India won by six wickets