India have set a target of 171 runs for Pakistan in a highly anticipated match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being played in England, 24NewsHD TV reported on Sunday.
Batting first after winning the toss, India scored 170 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs in Birmingham.
The innings was powered by a strong half-century from Smriti Mandhana, who scored 68 runs off 44 balls, while Richa Ghosh added a quickfire 34 runs.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 36 runs to help India reach a competitive total.
For Pakistan, Sadia Iqbal and captain Fatima Sana picked up two wickets each, while Rameen Shamim and Tasmia Rubbab claimed one wicket apiece to restrict India’s scoring in the final overs.
After winning the toss, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the pitch looked ideal for batting and expressed confidence in her team's preparations.
She noted that India had gained significant confidence from its performances in the previous World Cup, adding that the players were highly excited for the much-awaited contest against their arch-rivals.
“The pitch looks very good for batting, and the team is looking forward to the challenge,” Harmanpreet said before the start of the match.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana also believed the surface would favour batters but expressed confidence in her bowling attack.
She said Pakistan possessed a strong combination of fast bowlers and spinners capable of restricting the Indian batting lineup.
“We have quality bowlers on our side and will try our best to keep India to a manageable total,” Fatima said. “Our pace and spin departments are well-balanced, and we are confident of putting up a strong performance.”
Meanwhile, television footage appeared to show Harmanpreet Kaur not shaking hands with Fatima Sana after the toss, a moment that quickly drew attention on social media.
However, neither team had commented on the incident at the time of reporting.
Playing XIs
India: 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Bharti Fulmali, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Arundhati Reddy, 9 Kranti Gaud, 10 Shree Charani, 11 Shreyanka Patil
Pakistan: 1 Muneeba Ali (wk), 2 Gull Feroza, 3 Ayesha Zafar, 4 Saira Jabeen, 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Aliya Riaz, 7 Fatima Sana (capt), 8 Rameen Shamim, 9 Nashra Sandhu, 10 Sadia Iqbal, 11 Tasmia Rubab