India registered a thumping 64-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their 2026 Women's T20 World Cup campaign opener at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday (June 14).
Smriti Mandhana scored a brilliant half-century (68 off 44), while Richa Ghosh produced a terrific cameo (34 off 17) as India posted 170/6 in 20 overs after opting to bat first.
In the chase, Pakistan started well but failed to keep up with the asking rate. They were bundled out for 106 in 17 overs, with Deepti Sharma bagging a five-wicket haul (5-10 in 4 overs) for India.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur expressed deep appreciation for the fans' incredible support in their first match of the Women's T20 World Cup.
“Yeah, definitely. Very happy and firstly, I want to thank all Indian fans. They've been amazing. They've been there for us. So, we really, really want to thank them,” Kaur said.
She praised the match-winning contributions of Smriti and Deepti. “Whenever we need, they're always there to push the team. So, really happy the way they both played today.”
Kaur credited her partnership with Mandhana for controlling the game and setting a solid total after India were reduced to 18/2 in 3.2 overs.
The captain further stated that she would love to send Richa Ghosh out to bat on the first ball if it were up to her, but noted the wicketkeeper-batter is currently fulfilling her assigned role perfectly.
“I think it was a decent pitch, but I think initially we unnecessarily put pressure on us. But after that, when Smriti and I was batting, we tried to control the game and then we got what we wanted.
“(When does she want Richa to come out to bat?) If it's in my hand, I would love to send her on the first ball. But I think she has some role to play and she's doing really well and really happy the way she played today,” she remarked.
Harmanpreet Kaur emphasized that catching and fielding are the foundation of winning games, and her demonstrated the same against Pakistan.
“Cricket is a game of, if you catch every ball, if you take all the catches, you always win matches. And I think that's what happened while fielding. We wanted to give ourselves to every ball and really happy with the way we fielded and overall game,” she stated.
Kaur stressed the importance of every single group-stage fixture and the margin of victory as Net Run Rate could be the deciding factor for advancing to the semifinals.
“Every league game is important and really happy how we won today because that is something, which is going to help us [at the] end of the league games,” she said.
Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed that she is doing fine despite hobbling a bit at the end of the match. “Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you very much,” she concluded.
