MATCH REPORT
Follow UsOne of the most awaited games in this edition of the Women's World Cup, India locked horns with Pakistan at the Bay Oval in what promised to be a Sunday blockbuster for all the cricket frenzy fans.
Millions of eyes glued to the television sets and fans flogging the stadium to witness this high-voltage contest, there was bound to be emotions and pressure on the players stepping onto the field.
After four years of hard work and gruelling sessions under scorching heat, the two sides set foot at the Bay Oval for the fourth match of the iconic tournament.
And, it was the Women in Blue who emerged victorious after showcasing some brilliance in the back end of the innings with the bat and consistent bowling to help the team register an emphatic 107-run and kickstart their World Cup campaign.
The coin landed in favour of Mithali Raj, and the skipper had no hesitation in electing to bat first on a used wicket. However, the move seemed to have backfired as they lost Shafali Verma for a duck in the third over of the innings, with only four runs on the board.
With the team opting for three all-rounders in the side, Deepti Sharma walked in at number three. While this role is not something new for the southpaw as she has opened for the Indian side in the past. However, with the emergence of Yastika Bhatia at number three, this decision looked a little bit surprising, albeit only for a certain time.
The 24-year old, along with Smriti Mandhana, steadied the innings by accumulating the ones and the twos to help the Women in Blue inch closer to the 100-run mark. While Smriti was the aggressor in the partnership, Deepti held one end up ensuring India lay a solid foundation at the top of the order.
En route to their 92-run partnership, Mandhana notched up her 21st ODI half-century and became only the 4th Indian player to score 2500 runs in this format.
While the duo looked set for a big one, Deepti was dismissed for a well-compiled 40 off 57 deliveries to give Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough. With Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur to follow, the Indian team looked comfortable to post over 250 runs in the first innings.
However, what transpired in the next ten overs will be a cause of concern for the team management of the Indian side. The Women in Blue crumbled from 96 for the loss of Shafali's wicket to 114 for six, with all the big guns back in the pavilion, including Mandhana for 52.
The onus of the side now relied heavily on the shoulders of Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar to bail the team out of this muddle and help them post a decent total on the board.
Playing in their first World Cup match, the duo consolidated the innings with some solid defensive techniques and authoritative strokes through the off-side to start the repair work.
In her short international career, Vastrakar has showcased glimpses of her talent with the bat, and it was an ideal opportunity for her and Rana to convert their domestic batting prowess at the international arena.
The duo did precisely that as they forged a crucial 122-run stand, which is the highest partnership for the seventh wicket in the history of women's game to help India crawl their way back into the contest.
While all the attention was on Vastrakar and her destructive ability with the bat, Rana silently went about her business and scored her maiden fifty to yet again prove that she is India's crisis player.
With runs coming thick and fast from the all-rounders, the Women in Blue managed to score 244 runs in her quota of fifty overs despite a middle-order collapse.
Chasing 245 runs for their first win against India, Pakistan needed two of their most experienced players, Javeria Khan and Bismah Maroof, to guide them through the run chase.
Opening the batting alongside Sidra Amin, Javeria struggled with her timing all through the innings and managed to score 11 runs off 28 balls before offering a simple catch to Jhulan Goswami at mid-on.
With the score reading 28 for one in 11 overs and the pressure of the run chase, Bismah walked in at number three. While the southpaw played some elegant strokes in her short stay at the crease, her wicket in the 18th over derailed the batting unit of Pakistan.
The Indian spinners made optimum use of the conditions on offer and weaved their magic in the middle overs to dismantle the batting unit of the opposition.
Rajeahwari Gayakwad was the pick of the bowlers for the Indian side with figures of four for 31 in her ten-over spell, equalling Goswami's record of two four-wicket hauls in the Women's World Cup. The left-arm spinner was well supported by Richa Ghosh behind the stumps as she accounted for four catches, the joint-most in a World Cup game.
Barring the middle-order chaos, the Women in Blue produced a dominant performance to record their first win in the competition and inch a step closer in their bid for the elusive World Cup.
