Just two weeks after Pakistan beat India to lift the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, revenge was served. The Indian eves thrashed their Pakistani counterparts by 95 runs in Derby to win their third consecutive match in the ongoing 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup.
Choosing to bat first, India lost their in-form opener Smriti Mandhana for two runs before Poonam Raut and Deepti Sharma pulled things back on track with a 67-run partnership for the second wicket. It was when slow left-arm bowler Nashra Sandhu triggered a middle order collapse as she picked up the wickets of Raut, Deepti and the ever reliable Mithali Raj.
All hopes were on the shoulder of Harmanpreet Kaur, but the all-rounder perished for just 10, thanks to a superb catch by Pakistan captain Sana Mir at mid-wicket.
Also read: How Pakistan forced Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj into losing their wickets
Wicketkeeper Shikha Pandey, whose highest ODI score was four before this match, scored a valuable 35-ball 33 and along with the help of veteran Jhulan Goswami, took India to a decent total of 169/9 in their 50 overs on a slow wicket.
Pakistan got off to a worst possible start as they were reduced to 26/6 inside the first 15 overs, with Ekta Bisht being the wrecker in chief with figures of 3/4 in her four overs. Nahida Khan and skipper Mir were the only batters to reach the double figures as they were bundled out for just 74 in 38.1 overs.
Ekta accounted for 5 wickets for 18 runs and was well backed by Mansi Joshi, who scalped two wickets. Harmanpreet, Jhulan and Deepti took a wicket apiece.
With this win, India have beaten Pakistan in all the 10 ODIs played between both these teams, Here is how the world reacted after India’s massive win over Pakistan.
Extra cover: 2017 ICC women's World Cup: India vs Pakistan- Twitter Reactions
Indian captain, Mithali Raj: “There were some anxious moments. That partnership involving Sushma was crucial. We got the breakthroughs. This is one of the off days for the top order but we will look into that in the next game. Ekta has always delivered when given the new ball.
“I am very proud of her; her spell was so crucial. Her first spell got the team back into the game. I believe when you're defending a small total, you come up with a lot of strategies. When you intend to become the top side, the bowling side should be able to come back and perform the way the girls have done today.”
Pakistan captain, Sana Mir: “This was our best bowling performance against India in ODIs. If backed with a good batting performance, we could have had a better game.”
Man of the Match, Ekta Bisht: Felt good. We gave a fighting target. Sushma batted well. The plan was to bowl dot balls and take wickets. Most of the games I open with the new ball, so not much of a problem. I like bowling more with the new ball. The wicket was better than against England; it's offering turn now.
“I just have to keep bowling irrespective of the nature of the wicket on offer.”
Jatin Sapru:
Suresh Raina:
Rohit Sharma:
Virender Sehwag:
Mohammad Kaif:
Click here to get India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024. Follow Sportskeeda for the T20 World Cup Schedule, Points Table, and news
