Mount Maunganui: A fighting batting effort by Pooja Vastrakar (67 off 59), Sneh Rana (53 not out off 48) and Smriti Mandhana (52 off 75) followed by a clinical bowling performance by Rajeshwari Gayakwad (4/31) helped India thrash arch-rivals Pakistan by 107 runs in their opening match of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup at the Bay Oval, here.
The win extends India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan in Women’s ODIs, making it 11 wins out of 11. The massive victory also gave a huge early boost to India’s net run rate, putting their first points on board in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup standings.
Chasing 245 for the win, Pakistan were off to a slow start, scoring just 26/0 at the end of the Powerplay as the Indian team did some tight bowling. The pressure got to the openers as Javeria Khan (11) departed in the 11th over, trying to take the aerial route.
The spinners continued to keep a lid on the scoring, with Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana picking up prized scalps of skipper Bismah Maroof (15) and Omaima Sohail (5) respectively. Brought back into the attack, Jhulan Goswami got in on the action immediately, dismissing the set batter Sidra Ameen (30) caught behind. Pakistan lost half their side as the veteran pacer struck again in her next over to remove Nida Dar for 4.
