For the first time ever, the Pakistan women’s team managed to get the Indian team all out in an ODI clash, during their side’s group stage match of the ICC Women’s World Cup at Colombo on Sunday.
Pacer Diana Baig (4/69) in 10 overs, registered the best-ever World Cup figures by a Pakistan pacer as they managed to get India all out for 247 runs in 50 overs.
This is India’s highest score in women’s ODI without an individual 50-plus score, outdoing their 227 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad last year.
India played a total of 173 dot balls in their innings, the highest in the tournament so far and second-most for India in 34 ODIs since January 2023, next to 181 vs NZ-W during their 183 all-out in Ahmedabad last year.
There was a 48-run stand for the first wicket between Pratika Rawal (31 in 37 balls, with five fours) and Smriti Mandhana (23 in 32 balls, with four boundaries) after Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Harleen Deol (46 in 65 balls, with four boundaries and a six), Jemimah Rodrigues (32 in 37 balls, with five fours), Deepti Sharma (25 in 33 balls, with a four) and Sneh Rana (20 in 33 balls, with two fours) did start well, but could not convert it into something substantial, leaving India at 203/7 in 45.3 overs.
However, a quickfire 20-ball 35 from Richa Ghosh (with three fours and two sixes) pushed India to 247/10 in 50 overs.
Besides Diana (4/69), Sadia Iqbal (2/47) and skipper Fatima Sana (2/38) were also among the wickets.
Speaking after the innings, Jemimah said that she needed to concentrate a lot more, and bugs were swarming along, which caused the match to stop for a while. She said that 247 is a “fighting total”.
“To be honest, I had to concentrate a lot more, the bugs were swarming along. The pitch was under covers for 48 hours, there was moisture around ,and the ball was not coming onto the bat, so I think 247 is a fighting total. I was batting in the middle, so I do not really know (on the decision to keep Richa Ghosh for later), but I think the feeling was to get her in the last 5-6 overs and give her the freedom to play her shots which I think she did superbly today. This is a fighting score, but we will still have to come out, bowl and field well to win today,” she said.
India will have to defend 248 runs to keep their flawless 4-0 run against Pakistan in the Women’s WC going. (ANI)
