India Begin Women’s T20 World Cup With Dominant Win Over Pakistan
India could not have asked for a better start to their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, as they convincingly defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 64 runs at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Sunday. In front of a packed stadium, largely filled with Indian supporters, the Women in Blue delivered a comprehensive performance with both bat and ball.
After being asked to bat first, India set a challenging total of 170 runs. The innings was anchored by opener Smriti Mandhana, who played a brilliant knock of 68 runs. Mandhana survived two dropped catches and capitalized on the opportunity, hitting boundaries all around the ground. Her innings provided the stability India needed after a slow start.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 36 runs, while wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh provided late fireworks with a quickfire 34 runs off just 17 deliveries. Her explosive batting helped India push their total to a formidable score, especially after a brief middle-order collapse.
In pursuit of 171 runs, Pakistan started positively but failed to maintain their momentum as India’s bowlers gradually tightened their grip on the game. The turning point came when Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali, who was performing well with 41 runs, was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Deepti Sharma.
Shortly after Muneeba’s dismissal, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana was also out, causing the chase to unravel. Deepti Sharma then took charge with the ball, delivering a match-winning spell with 5 wickets for just 10 runs. Her outstanding performance not only secured India’s victory but also made her the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20 internationals, with a total of 166 wickets.
Young spinner Shree Charani also impressed with figures of 3 for 21, ensuring that Pakistan never fully recovered from their middle-order collapse.
This victory extends India’s unbeaten record against Pakistan in Women’s World Cups across both T20 and ODI formats. More importantly, it gives Harmanpreet Kaur’s team a confident start in their quest for a maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title.
For Indian fans, it was the perfect beginning to the tournament—an emphatic victory over their biggest rivals on one of cricket’s grandest stages.
