India return to winning ways in Women’s Twenty20 World Cup

Dubai: After a humiliating loss to New Zealand, India bounced back to bring their ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign back on track with a mature performance, defeating fellow Asian giants Pakistan by a six-wicket margin at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

The stadium, marking a milestone by hosting its 100th Twenty20 International match, saw 15,935 supporters — a record for a group game in the Women’s World Cup.

Indian pacer Arundhati Reddy and off-spinner Shreyanka Patil stood out with their tight spells, after Renuka Singh provided a crucial breakthrough in the first over. Chasing a target of 106, Shafali Verma gave India a solid start with a measured 32, before giving away her wicket when all that was needed was a commonsense approach, with the required run rate under one run per ball.

Reddy, named player of the match for her 3 for 19, used her variations to great effect, restricting the Pakistan batters from scoring freely in the powerplay.

“I have been bowling with the new ball lately. We had a good powerplay and got a good start with the ball. I have worked a lot on my T20 bowling in all stages, and it is helping me,” said the 27-year-old medium-pacer.

“Since it is a day game and the conditions are hot, we had to use a lot of variations, but we are used to this. I was trying to attack the stumps and that was my focus.”

Disciplined approach

The record crowd enjoyed an entertaining match, but India’s more disciplined approach led to a clinical display, restricting Pakistan to 105 for 8 in 20 overs.

When it seemed all over for Pakistan, skipper Fatima Sana briefly brought her team back into the match with two wickets off successive deliveries. India’s eagerness to reach the target quickly and boost their run rate played into Pakistan’s hands, and Sana took full advantage.

India had a scare when skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had to retire hurt after stumbling while running, with just two runs remaining. India’s bigger concern remains their fielding, especially catching, an area where they were found lacking.

Asha Sobhana dropped two catches, including a simple one off Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali, bringing back memories of Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh’s dropped catch against Pakistan’s Asif Ali during the Men’s Asia Cup Super 4 clash at the same venue in 2022.

Missed opportunities

The Pakistan batters were guilty of not rotating the strike enough, and they could have added more runs had they used the entire field, instead of focusing mainly on the on-side. This restricted their ability to score on a slow wicket, where more precision was needed to pierce through the off-side field.

Veteran Nida Dar, using all her experience, to score a patient 28 and was involved in a crucial 28-run partnership with Sayeeda Aroob Shah for the ninth wicket, which helped Pakistan push their total past the 100-run mark.

“We were not up to the mark in batting. We were 10-15 runs short. Hopefully, next match I will go up the order,” Sana told broadcasters at the post-match ceremony. “I am enjoying my captaincy and I have enjoyed my time.”

Crucial wickets

In contrast, India’s batters adapted to the slowness of the pitch, positioning themselves well to exploit the open on-side and keep the scoreboard moving.

Shreyanka Patil, who finished with 2 for 12 in four overs, was thrilled with her performance. “Getting my first wicket in a World Cup is very special, and to do it against Pakistan was even more special. It’s just amazing to be part of this World Cup. Now that I’m in the middle and people are cheering for us, it’s even more special.

“We picked up some crucial wickets in the powerplay that helped us. Aru [Reddy] bowled well. It’s pretty hot and humid here, and I’m going to have an iced tea after this.”