In an exciting match at Newlands Cricket Ground, India defeated their long-time rival Pakistan by seven wickets in the opening game of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 on Sunday. Pakistan put up a strong fight with Bismah Maroof scoring 68 not out and Ayesha Naseem contributing 43 not out, leading their team to a total of 149-4 in the allotted 20 overs.
Despite the loss of opener Smriti Mandhana to injury, India got off to a good start with a 38-run partnership between Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia. However, Pakistan struck back with a few key dismissals, including Verma who was caught by Sidra Amin in the 10th over. Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues attempted a comeback, but their efforts were thwarted by Nashra Sandhu who claimed Kaur's wicket in the 14th over.
Jemimah Rodrigues stepped up to lead India to victory, finishing with a magnificent 53 not out off 38 deliveries. She was joined by Richa Ghosh who contributed 31 not out, helping India reach the target of 150 with seven wickets in hand in the 19th over.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. They suffered an early loss with opener Javeria Khan falling to Deepti Sharma in the second over. Bismah Maroof and Muneeba Ali mounted a comeback, putting up 39-1 at the end of the Powerplay. However, India's Radha Yadav and Pooja Vastrakar swung the match back in their favor with key dismissals. Ayesha Naseem then joined Maroof and the duo put on an 81-run partnership to push Pakistan to a final score of 149-4.
Brief scores: Pakistan Women 149-4 in 20 Overs (Bismah Maroof 68 not out, Ayesha Naseem 43 not out; Radha Yadav 2/21) lost to India Women 151-3 in 19 Overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 53 not out, Richa Ghosh 31 not out; Nashra Sandhu 2/15) by 7 wickets.