India Women beat Pakistan Women by 64 runs

India Women beat Pakistan Women by 64 runs in Match 6 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with Deepti Sharma producing a match-winning five-wicket haul after Smriti Mandhana’s 68 set up a commanding 170/6. The result gives India a strong opening statement in the tournament and adds another significant result to the early group-stage picture.

This was the sixth match of a 33-match tournament and it followed an opening run of decisive results elsewhere: England Women won by 87 runs in Match 1, Scotland Women by 40 runs in Match 2, Australia Women by 65 runs in Match 3, West Indies Women by seven wickets in Match 4, and Bangladesh Women by six wickets in Match 5. India’s win does not decide anything this early in the competition, but it strengthens their position in the standings as the group stage begins to take shape.

India’s innings was built around Mandhana’s 68, an innings that gave the total both tempo and stability. Harmanpreet Kaur added 36 and Richa Ghosh chipped in with 34, ensuring India kept moving through the middle and closing overs to finish on 170/6 from their 20 overs. Pakistan did manage wickets through Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, who took two apiece, while Rameen Shamim also struck, but India had already laid down the platform for a total that would demand an above-par chase.

Pakistan’s bowlers had some useful moments in patches. In the figures available from the scorecard, Sadia Iqbal returned 1/15 from 2.0 overs, Fatima Sana bowled tidily for 0/11 from 2.0 overs, Tasmia Rubab claimed 1/2 from 1.0 over, and Rameen Shamim finished with 0/10 from 1.0 over. Even so, India’s key batters had done enough to give their attack room to operate.

In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for 106 in 17.0 overs. Muneeba Ali fought with 41 and Aliya Riaz made 18, while Gull Feroza contributed 12, but the chase never settled once India began to take regular wickets. Deepti was the standout, claiming 5 wickets to break the innings open, while Shree Charani supported her with 3 wickets and Shafali Verma added 1. India took control through the middle phase and never allowed Pakistan the partnerships required in a chase of this size.

The turning point came when Pakistan’s attempt to stay in touch with the asking rate was interrupted by repeated dismissals rather than one sustained recovery. Muneeba’s 41 kept them in the contest for a period, but with no other batter able to push on beyond Aliya Riaz’s 18, India were able to squeeze the chase and pull away. Deepti’s spell was the defining contribution of the second innings and rightly earned her the Player of the Match award.

For India, this is an ideal start with more major fixtures still ahead in the group stage, including matches against Netherlands Women on June 17, South Africa Women on June 21, Bangladesh Women on June 25 and Australia Women on June 28. Pakistan, meanwhile, continue their campaign against South Africa Women on June 17 before further matches against Bangladesh Women, Australia Women and Netherlands Women. The next matches in the tournament are New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women and England Women vs Ireland Women on June 16.

Key Performers

• Smriti Mandhana: 68 for India Women
• Harmanpreet Kaur: 36 for India Women
• Richa Ghosh: 34 for India Women
• Deepti Sharma: 5 wickets for India Women
• Shree Charani: 3 wickets for India Women
• Muneeba Ali: 41 for Pakistan Women
• Fatima Sana: 2 wickets for Pakistan Women
• Sadia Iqbal: 2 wickets for Pakistan Women

NerdSports Stat: India’s top three contributors with the bat — Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh — combined for 138 runs, which was 81.17% of the team’s 170/6.

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