Snehasis Mukherjee in Colombo
It’s two out of two for India in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup after the 88-run win against Pakistan in Colombo. Kranti Gaud was named Player of the Match for her superb spell. She took three wickets for just 20 in 10 overs.
However, the win could have been even more convincing with better bowling efforts and tighter fielding.
Having set a 248-run target, it was expected that India’s strong bowling unit would seal the game comfortably to give their net run rate a boost. But the bowlers were not as penetrative as expected, allowing the Women in Green to stay in the contest till 43 overs.
India had got the start they needed. A controversial dismissal set the tone early. Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali was given out in a strange turn of events. India appealed for LBW and the umpire turned it down. But in the meantime, Deepti Sharma threw the ball at the stumps, and Muneeba’s bat was in the air. The replay showed that, and the big screen flashed “OUT”, leaving the batter and the Pakistan camp frustrated.
After that, Sadaf Shamas (6) and Aliya Riaz (2) fell cheaply as Pakistan slipped to 26/3. Things looked under control for India, but Sidra Amin and Natalia Parvez built a steady 69-run partnership that frustrated the bowlers. Natalia scored 33, and Sidra Nawaz added 14 later in the innings.
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India’s fielding and wicketkeeping were below par. Richa Ghosh, who played a fine knock with the bat earlier, had a forgettable outing behind the stumps. Sidra Amin, who scored 81 off 106, was dropped four times — thrice by Richa and once by N Shree Charani off her own bowling. Richa also dropped Sidra Nawaz once.
Eventually, Pakistan collapsed, losing their last five wickets for just 16 runs. From 143/5 in the 43rd over, they were all out for 159. Along with Kranti’s three wickets, Deepti Sharma also picked up three, while Sneh Rana bagged two.
Earlier, it was another disappointing outing for India’s batters. They managed only 247 runs, failing once again to cross the 250 mark — raising more questions about their consistency. Pratika Rawal (31), Smriti Mandhana (23), Harleen Deol (46), Harmanpreet Kaur (19), and Jemimah Rodrigues (32) all got starts but failed to convert. The batters struggled to judge the pace of the wicket and couldn’t build any big partnership.
Deepti added 25, while Sneh contributed 20. The decision to send Richa at No. 8 raised eyebrows. She played an excellent unbeaten knock of 35 off 20 balls, which proved vital in pushing India to 247.
Despite the flaws, India got the job done. They now move to four points from two games and continue their unbeaten record against Pakistan in Women’s ODIs — making it 12-0 in the rivalry.
Also Read: After toss chaos and batting struggles, India post 247 against Pakistan