India captain Harmanpreet Kaur led her side to a hard-fought six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, as India successfully chased a modest target of 106 in the ongoing T20I series. Kaur’s steely 29 from 24 balls proved decisive in a tense finish, ensuring India bounced back from their opening loss against New Zealand in Group A.
After restricting Pakistan to 105-8 in their 20 overs, India looked comfortable at 61-1, with opener Shafali Verma striking 32 from 35 balls. However, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana triggered a mini-collapse by taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries, giving her side a brief glimmer of hope. Kaur, though, held her nerve, guiding India to within two runs of victory before slipping and appearing to injure her neck, forcing her off the field.
Sajeevan Sajana then hit the winning runs on the very next ball, sealing India’s victory at 108-4 with seven balls to spare.
Speaking after the match, Indian opener Smriti Mandhana said, “We have been very disciplined and followed the plans. A better start with the bat would have been good, but we will take that win.”
Pakistan’s Nida Dar top-scored with 28 from 34 balls, but their innings struggled for momentum after Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to bat on a tricky wicket. “We were not up to the mark in the batting. We were 10-15 runs short,” Fatima reflected on her team’s batting woes.
India’s bowlers all contributed, but Arundhati Reddy stood out with her excellent figures of 3-19 from four overs, including crucial wickets of Omaima Sohail, Aliya Riaz, and Dar. Reddy, named Player of the Match, remarked, “I kept it simple and attacked the stumps.”
With this much-needed win, India moved to fourth in Group A, just behind Pakistan on net run rate. They will next face Sri Lanka on Wednesday, while Pakistan will meet favorites Australia on Friday.
