Birmingham, June 15: The Indian women’s cricket team kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a resounding victory over Pakistan, winning by 64 runs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her delight following the impressive win.
Harmanpreet thanked the Indian fans and praised the performances of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, stating, “I am very happy. First, I want to thank the Indian fans. Smriti and Deepti played brilliantly. They always stand by the team. Richa also batted excellently. I want to send her to open the innings, but her role in the team is defined. I am very pleased with her batting.”
Regarding the team’s fielding, Harmanpreet commented, “If you catch all the catches, you win the match. I am very happy with the way we fielded. Every match is crucial.”
During the match, Harmanpreet was seen limping but reassured everyone, saying, “I am absolutely fine.”
In the match, India won the toss and chose to bat first. Shefali Verma gave the team a thrilling start by hitting a six on the very first ball, but she could not extend her innings and was out for just 6 runs on the fifth ball of the same over. Jemimah Rodrigues also fell quickly, scoring only 1 run.
Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur steadied the innings, forming a crucial partnership of 91 runs for the third wicket, taking the team’s score to 109 before Mandhana was dismissed. She scored a brilliant half-century, making 68 runs off 44 balls. Harmanpreet contributed 36 runs from 35 balls. In the final overs, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh added 34 runs off 17 balls, including one six and five fours, helping India reach a total of 170 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs.
In response, the Pakistani team struggled against the Indian bowlers, with only opener Muniba Ali putting up a fight, scoring 41 runs off 35 balls. The entire Pakistani team was bowled out for 106 runs in just 17 overs.
Deepti Sharma and Shree Chani delivered exceptional bowling performances. Deepti took 5 wickets for just 10 runs in her 4 overs, while Chani claimed 3 wickets for 21 runs. Shefali Verma also took one wicket. Deepti was named Player of the Match.
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