India’s bowlers dismantled Pakistan on a fresh Dubai pitch on September 5, restricting them to their lowest total in T20I history. India then reached the target in 8.4 overs for the loss of three wickets, winning by seven wickets in the Women’s Asia Cup.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was delighted with the bowling, saying the team talks about being ruthless and that the bowlers read the pitch and stuck to their plans well.
The bowlers
Sree Charani took 3/7 and Prema Rawat 3/9, while Deepti Sharma added 2/5. Harmanpreet stressed the need to keep standards high through the tournament. She said losing three wickets in the chase could happen against a good Pakistan attack.
Harmanpreet’s landmark
The match was Harmanpreet’s 150th T20I as captain, making her the first cricketer, male or female, to reach that figure. She had already won 86 games as skipper before it. She said she was grateful and had never imagined getting this far.
Pakistan’s view
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said her side collapsed. They had wanted to post a big total on the fresh surface, trusting their own bowling, but India’s discipline gave them no momentum.
Semi-final ahead
India had already qualified for the semi-finals after wins over Thailand and Hong Kong, China. They play the first semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10.
