India captain Harmanpreet Kaur led her team to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the 7th match of the Women’s T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
India chased down Pakistan's target of 106 with seven balls to spare, closing at 108-4. Kaur's unbeaten 29 from 24 balls steered her side to the win, despite a dramatic moment when she appeared to injure her neck just two runs short of victory.
Sajeevan Sajana completed the chase by hitting the winning runs on the next delivery.
India looked comfortable early on at 61-1, but Pakistan captain Fatima Sana triggered a brief collapse, taking two wickets in two balls. However, Kaur's composed innings helped India recover and secure a crucial win after their opening loss to New Zealand in Group A.
Smriti Mandhana, speaking after the match, praised India's performance: “We have been very disciplined, followed the plans. In the field, we were very good. A better start with the bat would have been good, but we will take that win.”
For Pakistan, Nida Dar top-scored with 28 from 34 balls, but the team struggled after Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bat on a tricky pitch with awkward bounce. Pakistan managed to post 105-8 in their 20 overs, a total Fatima felt was below par. "We were not up to the mark in the batting. We were 10-15 runs short," she said.
India's bowlers shone throughout the match, with Arundhati Reddy delivering a standout performance. She removed key middle-order batters Omaima Sohail (3) and Aliya Riaz (4) before clean bowling Nida Dar in the final over, finishing with 3-19 from her four overs. Reddy was named Player of the Match and commented, "I’ve worked a lot on my T20 bowling in all stages of the innings. I kept it simple and attacked the stumps."
India’s chase was led by a steady start from Shafali Verma, who struck 32 from 35 balls, including three boundaries. Despite losing Jemimah Rodrigues and Verma in quick succession, Kaur’s resilience ensured India extended their head-to-head record over Pakistan to 13 wins from 16 T20Is.
With this victory, India moves to fourth place in Group A, trailing Pakistan only on net run rate. India will face Sri Lanka in their next match on Wednesday, while Pakistan has a tough encounter against tournament favorites Australia on Friday.
Meanwhile, West Indies take on Scotland later on Sunday in Dubai, with both sides looking for their first win in Group B.
