A marginal win of 7 wickets in the opening match against Pakistan

India achieved an impressive record by beating rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 on Sunday at Newlands Cricket Ground. Building on the outstanding performances of Bismah Maroof (68-55) and Ayesha Naseem (43-25), Pakistan became competitive with a 149-4 score after 20 overs. India squad made 150 runs target with Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia taking the lead while Smriti Mandhana was out injured. The opening duo put on a solid performance after 38 overs before Yastika was beaten by Sadia Iqbal on the final power play.

Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues checked to fill the sets. But Pakistan hit back in the tenth over when Sidra Amin took a big catch near the ropes and sent Verma back to the bench. Despite attempts from Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah, Nashra Sandhu sacked Kaur in the 14th over giving Pakistan a solid lead. But Jemimah Rodrigues brought India to a running battle, bowling an unbeaten 50 (53-38) and leading India across the pay line along with Richa Ghosh (31-20) in 19 overs with seven wickets in hand.

Earlier, Pakistan, who won their tie and opted to strike first, lost Javeria Khan to Deepti Sharma in the second over. Bismah Maroof and Muneeba Ali attacked Deepti and helped Pakistan go 39/1 at the end of the Power Play. Their best result against India in the first six overs of the T20I Women’s. However, Radha Yadav got Muneeba’s wicket shortly after, and Pooja Vastrakar sacked Nida Dar for a duck to put India back at the top.

Sidra Amin joined Maroof in the middle and the pair gave up 25 for the fourth wicket before a

bizarre dismissal resulted in Amin being dismissed by Radha. Ayesha Naseem’s call added momentum to Pakistan’s innings as she countered blocks with some hard shots. Maroof held one end while Ayesha attacked the other, taking Pakistan to 100 runs mark in the 16th over. Maroof turned 50 shortly thereafter as the two forged a partnership that put India on the back end. The unbeaten 81-runner helped Pakistan to 149/4 after 20 overs. Almost 58 runs were conceded in the last five overs and Pakistan gave India a clear total.

.@JemiRodrigues scored a superb unbeaten half-century & was #TeamIndia's top performer from the second innings of the #INDvPAK #T20WorldCup clash 👍 👍

Here's a summary of her knock 🔽 pic.twitter.com/FEnB7uHbbg

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) February 12, 2023

Virat Kohli praises Women’s T20 team

Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has congratulated the Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, on their stunning win over Pakistan at the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.  They won a thrilling match with seven wickets. Kohli praised the team for their big jumps and credited the team for paving the way for many girls to play the sport in the future. What a victory for our women’s team over Pakistan in an intense game of pressure and pursuit,” Kohli wrote. “The women’s team makes progress with every tournament we participate in and will inspire a whole generation of girls to get started. in sports and to take women’s cricket to the top. More power to you all. God bless you,” he added.

Here is the short score:

Pakistani Women 149-4 in 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 68 not out, Ayesha Naseem 43 not out; Radha Yadav 2/21) lost to India Women 151-3 in 19 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 53 no out, Richa Ghosh 31 Not Out; Nashra Sandhu 2/15) of 7 wickets.

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