Birmingham, June 15: The Indian women’s cricket team kicked off their campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026 with an impressive victory against Pakistan, winning by 64 runs. Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma played a pivotal role in this triumph, earning the Player of the Match award for her remarkable bowling performance.
Deepti delivered an outstanding spell, taking five wickets while conceding just 10 runs in her four overs. With this achievement, she became the third Indian woman bowler to claim five wickets in a T20 World Cup match, following in the footsteps of Renuka Thakur and Priyanka Roy. Renuka had accomplished this feat in the 2023 World Cup against England, while Priyanka achieved it against Pakistan in 2009. Deepti’s economical bowling was notably better than both previous performances.
In the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first, scoring 170 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Smriti Mandhana was the standout performer, scoring a brilliant half-century with 68 runs off 44 balls. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed with 36 runs off 35 balls, and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh added a quick 34 runs from 17 balls, including one six and five fours.
In pursuit of 171 runs, Pakistan’s Muniba Ali was the only successful batter, scoring 41 runs off 35 balls. The rest of the batting lineup faltered, leading to Pakistan’s collapse at 106 runs in 17 overs.
In addition to Deepti Sharma’s exceptional bowling, Shree Charani also made a significant impact, taking three wickets for 21 runs in her four overs, while Shefali Verma claimed one wicket.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
