India Women began the tournament by beating Pakistan by 64 runs after scoring 170. Smriti Mandhana set the tone with 68 off 44 balls, including nine fours and two sixes. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added a composed 36 and Richa Ghosh struck 34 off 17 to lift the total well above par.
The bowling was even better. Deepti Sharma returned 5/10 and Shree Charani 3/21 as the spinners strangled Pakistan through the middle overs, with Renuka Singh Thakur applying early pressure and Radha Yadav bringing control.
The Netherlands’ batting relies heavily on captain Babette de Leede, who made 50 off 45 in their opener, with Robine Rijke giving some stability. They need more from Heather Siegers and Phebe Molkenboer at the top, and a way of coping with India’s spin and rotating strike. Iris Zwilling bowled tightly against Bangladesh without taking a wicket, and Caroline de Lange and Silver Siegers offer new-ball support, though the attack lacks depth in wicket-taking.
