India 108 for 4 (Shafali 32, Harmanpreet 29*, Sana 2-23) beat Pakistan105 for 8 (Dar 28, Reddy 3-19, Patil 2-12) by six wickets
Harmanpreet Kaur was back at No.4, stroking a crucial 29
Before the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup game against Pakistan, India had a poor net run rate (NRR) of -2.90. To improve their position in the points table, they needed not just to win, but to win by a big margin. However, on a hot afternoon in Dubai, India managed only half of that task. They beat Pakistan by six wickets, earning two points, but their slow chase didn’t do much to improve their NRR.
India’s win was largely due to the efforts of Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka Patil, who took five of Pakistan’s eight wickets. Pakistan struggled to reach 105 runs, with Nida Dar contributing 28. On a slow pitch that favored spin, Pakistan’s spinners also made it tough for India, limiting their scoring chances. India took until the 19th over to reach the target, hitting only four boundaries—three by Shafali Verma and one each by Harmanpreet Kaur and S Sajana, who was filling in for the injured Pooja Vastrakar.
Harmanpreet, back in her usual No. 4 spot, was the only Indian batter among the top six to score at a strike rate above 100.
Pakistan show early intent
Before the match, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana talked about using aggressive play to challenge their rivals. When Pakistan chose to bat, the openers tried to follow this plan. Gull Feroza stepped out to tackle Renuka Singh’s swinging deliveries but got out in the first over. Muneeba Ali also moved around a lot at the crease, but her efforts didn’t result in many runs. She did manage to take advantage of any small gaps, hitting a few shots over the fielders, especially against Renuka during the powerplay.
Richa Ghosh took a stunner to dismiss Fatima Sana
Reddy-powered India ‘turn’ the tide
With Pooja Vastrakar out due to a minor injury, Arundhati Reddy had to take on more responsibility in India’s bowling attack. She came into the game in the fourth over and immediately forced Sidra Amin to make a mistake, hitting the ball towards mid-off. In her next over, Muneeba Ali almost gave away her wicket, but S Asha dropped a simple catch. However, soon after, Reddy got Omaima Sohail to mistime a shot, sending it straight to mid-off.
A few quiet overs followed, which made Muneeba struggle to score. Shreyanka Patil took advantage and threw a wider ball, tricking Muneeba into missing it, and Richa Ghosh completed the stumping. Nida Dar tried to keep the score going but kept losing partners.
Reddy trapped Aliya Riaz lbw (the review didn’t help Pakistan as the ball was shown to clip the leg stump). Patil then got Tuba Hassan out for a three-ball duck. Fatima Sana hit two fours off S Asha, but she was dismissed by a stunning one-handed catch from Ghosh. Reddy finished by bowling out Nida Dar, claiming her third wicket.
India’s weird chase
For India to turn their net run rate (NRR) positive, they needed to chase the 106-run target in just 11.2 overs. However, things didn’t go as planned. India had a tough powerplay without hitting any boundaries, as Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana struggled against Pakistan’s spinners. Mandhana hit a few good shots, but most went straight to the fielders, and she was eventually out after chipping a catch to backward point.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana kept using spinners, and India found it hard to score quickly. Shafali, frustrated by the slow bowling, missed some easy shots. India finally broke their boundary drought in the eighth over when Shafali hit a pull shot for four. She added a couple more boundaries but was caught at long-on shortly after.
At the other end, Jemimah Rodrigues, batting at No. 3 before Harmanpreet Kaur, kept rotating the strike and moving India closer to the target. But boundaries were still rare, and when India lost both Jemimah and Richa Ghosh in back-to-back balls, Pakistan started to look hopeful.
Harmanpreet came in and almost guided India to victory alongside Deepti Sharma. However, she hurt her neck while avoiding a stumping and had to retire hurt. Sajana then came in and hit the winning four, helping India maintain their winning streak over Pakistan in women’s T20Is.
