Ind vs Pak: India secured their second win in the T20 World Cup 2024 with a thrilling six-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium. The match was defined by the exceptional performances of bowlers Arundhati Reddy (3 for 19) and Shreyanka Patil (2 for 12), who restricted Pakistan to 105 for 8. Harmanpreet Kaur’s crucial 29 in the run chase ensured India’s victory with seven balls to spare.
Ind vs. Pak: Despite their win, India faced several challenges during the match, including the fitness of their captain, who retired hurt with a neck injury just before the end of the game. India’s catching could have been better, and their more measured approach to the chase didn’t do their Net Run Rate any favours.
Unlike in their opener against New Zealand, India made a strong start with the ball. Despite being asked to field in the unforgiving afternoon heat of Dubai, they showed early dominance. Renuka Thakur, taking over opening over duties in the absence of the injured Pooja Vastrakar, struck with the last ball of her first over. This booming inswinger pegged back Gull Feroza’s off-stump.
Muneeba Ali tried to keep up with Pakistan’s new mantra of maximising the PowerPlay by lofting a pair of boundaries off Thakur in a 12-run third over. But that enterprise didn’t last long as Sidra Amin fell to Deepti Sharma, dragging an attempted sweep onto her stumps. In the context of the first few games of this World Cup, Pakistan still had a decent score of 29 at the end of the PowerPlay. They were, however, pushed to a corner over the next four overs by some disciplined Indian bowling.
Reddy should have dismissed Muneeba with the second ball of her spell, but Asha Sobhana put down a straightforward catch with a short third man. Three balls later, Reddy had Omaima Sohail chipping a length ball straight to mid-off. From the other end, Shreyanka Patil preyed on Muneeba’s desperation to find boundaries, drawing her out of the crease with a flighted delivery and stumping her. That wicket-maiden left Pakistan at 41 for 4, having faced 38 dot balls at the halfway point of the innings and tasked the experienced Nida Dar with a rebuild job.
Dar ended a 38-ball streak without a boundary by sweeping Thakur for a four but continued to run out of partners at the other end. Reddy returned to trap Aliya Riaz LBW. India’s lapses in the field continued as Sobhana dropped another simple catch to reprieve Fatima Sana. The Pakistan captain used the benevolence to strike two back-to-back fours in the following over, incidentally off Sobhana. The leggie did have the last say in the exchange by dismissing Sana, largely thanks to Ghosh’s reflexes behind the stumps.
When Shreyanka dismissed Tuba Hassan, Pakistan was down to 71 for 7 in the 15th over. That they could bat out their quota of overs was down to Dar, anchoring one end with a steady 28 while Syeda Aroob and Nashra Sandhu scored a boundary each at the end to push the score past 100.
India made a slower start to their innings than Pakistan did, losing Smriti Mandhana (7 off 16) for adding just 25 runs in the PowerPlay. Curiously, however, they sent out Jemimah Rodrigues at one drop after just one game back at No.3 for their captain, Harmanpreet. Shafali Verma and Rodrigues kept the scoreboard ticking despite boundary-hitting proving difficult. Verma scored India’s first boundary off the bat in the eighth over and managed another two overs later as India reached 50 for one at the halfway point of the chase.
While Rodrigues was happy to target the shorter square boundaries using the sweep, Verma looked to take on the 73-metre boundary down the ground against right-arm offspinner Omaima and holed out at long-on. Her dismissal for a 35-ball 32 marked the first time she scored less than run-a-ball after facing a minimum of 30 deliveries in a T20I innings.
Even so, with the asking rate still under a run-a-ball, Rodrigues and Harmanpreet took India to within 26 runs off the target with five overs remaining. Sana then created a flutter of a comeback by dismissing Rodrigues (23 off 28) and Ghosh off successive deliveries. But in the assured company of Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet took India closer to the finish line. She couldn’t see her team over the line after retiring hurt with two runs to get with an apparent neck sprain.
