Contenders India began their Girls’s T20 Asia Cup title defence on a rousing be aware, demolishing arch-foes Pakistan by seven wickets in Dambulla on Friday. India bundled out Pakistan for a below-par 108 after being requested to bowl after which chased down the goal with as many as 35 balls remaining. Chasing 109, Indian openers Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) was at their finest as they toyed with the Pakistani assault from the phrase go. It was an aggressive show of batting from each the Indian openers as they principally dealt in fours and sixes.
The duo of Mandhana and Shafali hit two fours and a six off Tuba Hassan to gather 15 runs within the sixth over.
The seventh over bowled by Hassan yielded 21 runs with Mandhana hitting the bowler for 5 boundaries.
Pakistan lastly tasted success within the tenth over within the type of Mandhana who was caught by Aliya Riaz at mid-wicket off the bowling of Syeda Aroob Shah.
Shafali departed within the twelfth over, however by then, she and Mandhana had already completed the harm.
Dayalan Hemalatha (14) did not final lengthy, caught by Hassan off Nashra Sandhu.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then ensured a cushty win for the title holders.
Earlier, India dished out a high-quality effort led by skilled off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20).
India, after being requested to bowl first, tasted their first success within the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet at mid-on.
Vastrakar struck once more, dismissing the opposite Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali with a short-pitched supply, caught by Rodrigues at cowl, decreasing Pakistan to 26 for two after the fourth over.
The Indians did not permit Pakistani batters to calm down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Riaz, caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.
The Pakistani batters struggled to attain runs, not to mention construct partnerships as Indian bowlers continued to choose up wickets at common intervals to derail their opponents.
The following to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar who holed out to Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti because the batter went for her customary heave over the straight boundary.
It was raining wickets for India as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice within the final two deliveries of her spell.
Renuka first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) after which trapped Iram Javed leg earlier than within the subsequent ball to scale back Pakistan to 61 for six in 13 overs.
Thereafter Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched collectively a invaluable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan ahead.
However their partnership got here to an finish within the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward level off Deepti.
The 18th over bowled by Deepti noticed three dismissals — Hassan, Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu.
Whereas Hassan and Sandhu fell to Deepti, Shah was run out, denying the India spinner a hat-trick.
Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for 2 sixes within the nineteenth over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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