India Overcome Bug Plague to Cruise to Chilly Victory Over Pakistani Rivals in Women's World Cup
Pace bowler Kranti Goud and the spinner Deepti Sharma took three wickets each as India routed their opponents by 88 runs in their Women’s World Cup encounter, which began like recent ones between the men’s national sides with no handshake from the skippers and later included a disputed run-out of a Pakistan opener.
The Indian captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, did not shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana during the toss and the squads departed without post-match pleasantries after the contest amidst diplomatic strains between the two neighboring nations.
The captains at the recent men’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates also did not shake hands at games between India and Pakistan. Indian authorities have alleged Pakistan of being involved in attacks on tourists that claimed many lives.
Game Overview
Losing the toss, they were all out for 247 runs in their allotted overs. Their openers, Rawal and star player Smriti Mandhana, put on 48 runs for the first wicket before Sana had Mandhana leg before wicket for a 32-ball 23. Rawal made 31 runs before being bowled by spinner Iqbal. The captain scored 19 before edging behind off Diana Baig.
Deol top-scored for the team with 46 runs and Richa Ghosh made a quick-fire 35* to boost their side to a respectable score.
Rodrigues (32), Deepti (25) and Sneh Rana (20) all made useful runs, while Diana took 4/69 for Pakistan and the duo had two wickets apiece. The match was halted for a quarter-hour because insects were bothering the cricketers.
Pakistan’s Innings
Pakistan were bowled out for 159 in 43 overs. The only half-century of the game in the venue came from Sidra Amin, who made 81 runs.
Pakistan’s first wicket was lost in a controversial fashion when the opening batter Ali was given out run out. She had grounded her bat after returning to her crease, having stepped out to play a shot. Her bat was then seen to be lifted when an India throw struck the wickets. The captain protested to the official that the player was not running but the decision stood.
Amin’s innings of 106 balls included a maximum and nine boundaries. The seamer took three wickets for 20 runs and Sharma finished with three for 45.
