Women’s Rising Stars Asia Cup: India secure 8-wicket win over Pakistan
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Bangkok: India registered a commanding eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Group A clash of the Women’s Rising Stars Asia Cup at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok on Sunday.
After bowling out Pakistan A for 93 in 18.5 overs, India A chased down the target in just 10.1 overs, sealing the win with 59 balls to spare.
Right-handed opener Vrinda Dinesh led the charge with a blistering 55 off 29 deliveries, striking 12 boundaries and reaching her half-century in just 25 balls. Her aggressive knock anchored the chase after early pressure. Saima Thakor (2-14), captain Radha Yadav (2-11) and Prema Rawat (2-16) shared six wickets between them to lay the foundation for India A’s first win of the tournament. Minnu Mani and Jintimani Kalita picked up a wicket each.
India A’s chase began on a shaky note as Humairaa Kaazi was dismissed off the very first ball by Waheeda Akhtar. However, Vrinda and Anushka Sharma counterattacked decisively, powering the side to 63/1 by the end of the powerplay. Anushka made 24 before falling in the ninth over. Vrinda continued her onslaught before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Momina Riasat in the same over. Tejal Hasabnis finished the match in style with a six and a four.
Earlier, Pakistan A, after opting to bat, collapsed to 21/4 inside five overs as Saima struck twice with the new ball. Radha Yadav tightened the grip after the powerplay, dismissing Huraina Sajjad and Shawaal Zulfiqar in successive overs to reduce Pakistan to 41/6. A brief 25-run stand between Gull Rukh (21) and Anosha Nasir (17) offered some resistance, but the last two wickets added only 15 runs as Pakistan were bowled out for 93.
Continuing a recent trend in India-Pakistan encounters over the past year, both teams refrained from shaking hands at the toss.
With this victory, India A moved to second place in Group A after having lost their opening match to the UAE. They will face Nepal in their final group-stage fixture on Tuesday, with the top two teams progressing to the semi-finals.
Brief Scores: Pakistan A 93 all out in 18.5 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 23, Gull Rukh 21; Radha Yadav 2-11, Saima Thakor 2-14) lost to India A 97/2 in 10.1 overs (Vrinda Dinesh 55, Anushka Sharma 24; Momina Riasat 1-13, Waheeda Akhtar 1-18) by eight wickets.
With IANS inputs
