Mandhana, Deepti, Richa star as India breeze past Pakistan

India’s Convincing Win Over Pakistan

Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma bailed India out with bat and ball respectively to fire them to an emphatic opening win over Pakistan in front of a sellout crowd in Birmingham on Sunday.

Mandhana top-scored with 68 to lift India from 18 for 2 to 170, their highest in a T20 World Cup against Pakistan. Then, Deepti struck twice in two overs after Pakistan’s openers rattled 38 in quick time.

Deepti’s Blockbuster Act

Deepti’s blockbuster act, though, was a direct hit from short third to run out the dangerous Muneeba Ali for 41, triggering a collapse Pakistan didn’t quite recover from. They lost 5 for 26 through the middle phase as India’s spinners tightened their grip. They were eventually bowled out for 106, with Deepti finishing with 5 for 10 to become the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is.

In a match where both teams missed a number of opportunities on the field, the eventual difference was India’s death-overs lift. Richa Ghosh, who allayed fears of a form slump during the warm-ups last week, smashed 34 off 17. This included a sequence of four fours and a six off her last eight legal deliveries to help India muscle 60 off the last six overs when it seemed like they’d finish around 150.

That not only helped India finish on a high, but also gave them a massive net run rate cushion in what is being dubbed the group of death.

India’s scorecard: India 170 for 6 (Mandhana 68, Harmanpreet 36, Ghosh 34, Sana 2-33) and Pakistan’s scorecard: Pakistan 106 (Muneeba 41, Deepti 5-10, Charani 3-21)

Full report to follow