Mandhana's 68, Richa's 34 take India to 170/6 against Pakistan

BIRMINGHAM: Smriti Mandhana's batting was grace personified as her regal 44-ball-68 along with Richa Ghosh's cameo took India to a fighting 170 for 6 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening encounter of the Women's T20 World Cup here on Sunday.

Ghosh (34 off 17 balls) provided the final flourish as left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab went for 23 runs in the penultimate over which could eventually prove to be decisive.

Mandhana's elegance was on full display at Edgbaston as she caressed the ball to boundary with sheer timing.

The six off left-arm seamer Rubab had class written all over it. Dancing down the track, the inside out boundaries off off-break bowler Rameen Shamim were a work of art as she completed her half-century off just 34 balls. Her innings had nine boundaries and two sixes in it.

Shamim though finally had Mandhana when her mistimed hit was well taken by skipper Fatima Sana, who timed her slide to perfection.

Mandhana had company in her seasoned skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 35 balls) as the duo added 91 runs for the third wicket after Shafali Verma (6) and Jemimah Rodrigues (1) cheap dismissals had India under pressure at 18 for 2.

The skipper and her deputy were cautious with the Powerplay ending at 30 for 2 but they didn't let go of the opportunity to hit the boundaries.

In the next seven overs, India scored 70 runs and Mandhana got a couple of reprieves where Pakistan's butter-fingered fielders let regulation chances slip by.

The left-hander was dropped off Rubab's bowling when her mistimed lofted shot was dropped by the fielder stationed at mid-off, who failed to latch on to the ball while running backwards.

The other was a big hit with the fielder at wide long-on boundary who saw it go for a six as it slipped between her palms. The unlucky bowler was left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal (2/41), easily one of their best performers along with skipper Fatima Sana (2/33).

While Mandhana's footwork was a treat for the eyes, Kaur muscled a lot of deliveries using the depth of the crease. The Indian skipper used the conventional and slog sweep to good effect. Once Mandhana was dismissed, India had a slump as Bharti Fulmali (0) was immediately stumped while trying an ugly hoick and Kaur's flick off Sana was taken by Natalia Pervaiz stationed at square leg boundary.