IND W VS PAK W MATCH 7

Right then, that's all we have from this game, where India triumphed over their arch-rivals Pakistan to secure their first win in the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. This victory has lifted them off the bottom of the group, improving their net run rate from -2.9 to -1.217, while Pakistan remain in third place for now. But the excitement isn’t over yet on this Super Sunday. The 2016 champions, West Indies, are gearing up to face the tournament debutants, Scotland, right here in Dubai. Both teams are in search of their first points of the tournament, and that match is set to commence shortly. Our build-up has already begun for that game. Switch tabs and catch all the action. See you there. Cheers!

Smriti Mandhana is in for a chat, standing in for Harmanpreet Kaur. She says it's too soon to give an update on Harmanpreet's injury, but hopes she is fine. Adds that as a bowling unit, they followed the plans but could have done better with the bat. Talks about the net run rate and says they remained calculative considering that it was tough to time the ball. Concludes that they look forward to the next games and this win gives them momentum.

The captain of Pakistan Women, Fatima Sana Khan says they weren’t up to the mark with the bat. Admits they were around 10-15 runs short and she hopes they can bounce back in the next game. Ends by saying she enjoyed playing against India.

Arundhati Reddy is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for her 3 wickets. She says she has been bowling with the new ball and knew she would have to bowl a couple of overs upfront and it came good. Adds that it was hot but she is used to these kinds of conditions and she was focussing on keeping it simple and attacking the stumps with the variation in pace.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Earlier, after opting to bat first, Pakistan struggled to find any rhythm in their innings. They failed to form meaningful partnerships, losing wickets at regular intervals. The inability to rotate strike compounded the pressure from dot balls, and when the batters attempted to break free with big shots, they ended up losing their wickets. At one stage, it seemed as though Pakistan would fall short of even reaching 100, but a valuable 28-run stand between Nida Dar and Syeda Aroob Shah ensured they managed to scrape together a total of 105. It was a collective bowling effort for India but Arundhati Reddy stood out with 3 wickets while Shreyanka Patil had two wickets to her name.

Many expected India to adopt an aggressive approach in the Powerplay, aiming to chase down the target quickly and improve their net run rate. However, they opted for a more cautious, safety-first approach. With only 105 on the board, Pakistan's bowlers were tasked with bailing the team out once again, just as they had done against Sri Lanka. Fatima Sana Khan and Co. gave a good account of themselves, not conceding even a single boundary in the Powerplay. India's cautious approach kept Pakistan in the game, and when Fatima struck twice in two balls, her side's belief grew stronger. However, Harmanpreet Kaur's composed presence at the crease helped calm the nerves in the Indian dressing room. With just 2 runs needed, Kaur hurt her neck while attempting to drag herself back into the crease and walked off. Sajana Sajeevan then came in and finished the game with 7 balls to spare.

India huff and puff their way to the first points of the World Cup! After the heavy defeat against New Zealand, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will be relieved to get on the board, though there will be questions asked about whether they could have pressed harder to improve their net run rate. Credit to Pakistan for dragging the game into the penultimate over. By doing so, they not only made India work for the win but also ensured that their net run rate didn't take a significant hit.

FOUR! Sajana Sajeevan comes in and finishes things off straightaway! India Women win by 6 wickets! Nida Dar flights it up, on off, Sajana Sajeevan lofts it just over mid off. The fielder from mid off turns back and gives it a good chase but the ball has enough legs to beat her effort in the deep.

Sajana Sajeevan walks out to bat, replacing Harmanpreet Kaur.

Stumping chance missed! Tossed up full and quicker this time from Dar, just outside off, Harmanpreet Kaur makes room and looks to help it on its way past short third but misses. The ball quickly goes to the keeper who fails to collect it cleanly and misses a real chance of stumping Kaur out. Harmanpreet Kaur falls over awkwardly and seems to have hurt her neck in the process to dragging her back leg back in the crease.

Tossed up at the stumps, Harmanpreet Kaur clears her front leg out and drills it straight to mid on.

Full and on middle, Deepti Sharma sweeps it all along the ground to deep square leg for another single. India Women need just 2 more runs to win.

Dar loops it up, on off, Harmanpreet Kaur whips it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Full and on middle and off, Harmanpreet Kaur clears her front foot out and looks for a big swipe across the line. Doesn't quite time it right but gets it to long on for a single. India Women need just 4 runs off the last 2 overs.

FOUR! Up and over! Harmanpreet Kaur eases all the nerves! Too full from Fatima, on off, Harmanpreet Kaur gets closer to the line, frees her arms and lofts it over cover for a boundary.

Comes from over the wicket and attacks the stumps on a fuller length, Harmanpreet Kaur shuffles across and sweeps it to deep square leg for a couple of runs. The equation is now down to 9 off 14!