Harmanpreet Kaur praises bowlers and openers after convincing victory against Pakistan

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised her bowlers and openers after a convincing seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their first game of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

India's bowlers delivered a top-notch performance, dismissing Pakistan for just 108 runs. Leading the charge, off-spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma took 3-20 and was named Player of the Match.

In response, India’s openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, built a solid foundation with an 85-run partnership off just 57 balls. Their effort helped India chase down the total with 35 balls to spare. Verma scored 40 off 29 balls, and Mandhana added 45 off 31.

“Our bowlers and openers did the job. The first game is always a pressure game that sets the tone. Our entire unit played really well. When we were bowling, we were talking about early breakthroughs. With the bat, credit goes to Smriti and Shafali. We want to keep playing fearless cricket. How we played today, we are really happy with it,” said Harmanpreet after the match.

Pakistan captain Nida Dar admitted that the Power-play phases were decisive. Pakistan struggled during their Power-play, losing three wickets, while India kept their wickets intact. 

“The difference was the two Power-plays, that’s where we lost. We struggled in the batting and the positive out of it is the bowling unit – they did well. We have to get together and talk about plans for the next game. The main (issue) is Power-plays – if you see, if you win Power-plays you win games. We have watched the wicket, and we will plan better for the next matches,” said Nida.

India's strong start in the Women’s Asia Cup sets a positive tone for the rest of the tournament as they aim to maintain their momentum.