Team India Women started their journey well in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating their arch-rivals Pakistan by 64 runs on Sunday.
This victory will help the Indian team to move forward in the tournament with great confidence.
The Indian team showcased a brilliant performance in the important match in both departments. While batting, Smriti Mandhana delivered an epic batting performance, which helped the India team to make their innings stable and sorted. Mandhana scored 68 runs off 44 balls. In her knock, she smashed nine fours and two sixes. Smriti Mandhana played a crucial role for team India against Pakistan by sharing a 91-run partnership for the third run with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 36 runs off 35 balls, including four fours, and helped their side to reach the competitive total of 170 runs for the loss of six wickets.
Not only this, there was one more player who broke all the hopes of the Pakistan team and their fans by delivering heroics for her side. Yes, you guessed it right, star performer Deepti Sharma, who took a five-wicket haul, conceded 10 runs. Deepti Sharma was not the only lonely warrior in this match as stars like Shree Charani and Shafali Verma also helped her side by taking important wickets.
Deepti Sharma said, ‘I’m grateful and I love such pitches. I love ICC tournaments. The ball was turning, so I kept varying my pace with every ball and every over. The ball was turning, so I thought I should bowl slower, and that helped me.’
After the match, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur praised all the stars for their incredible performance: ‘They are always there to boost the team’s morale whenever we need them. The pitch was decent.’
Referring to Richa, who batted aggressively in the final overs of the innings, Harmanpreet said, ‘If it were up to me, I would have liked to send her in on the very first ball. But she has a role to play, and she’s doing well.’