India delivered a clinical performance in the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai on Saturday, dismantling Pakistan to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory. The Indian bowling attack proved too potent for their opponents, skittling Pakistan out for just 55 runs—the lowest total the side has ever recorded in the T20 format.
The match, which concluded in just over two hours, saw India chase down the modest target of 56 in only 8.4 overs. While Shafali Verma provided an explosive start with a six off the very first ball, Pakistan managed a brief period of resistance. Captain Fatima Sana claimed the wickets of Verma, Prateeka Rawal, and Smriti Mandhana, but the target proved too small to defend. Harmanpreet Kaur, who contributed 18, and Deepti Sharma, who added 12, steered their side to victory with composure.
Pakistan’s innings began with a promising opening partnership between Muneeba Ali and Shawaal Zulfiqar. However, the momentum shifted dramatically after Shafali Verma broke the stand by bowling Muneeba, who had been dropped twice earlier by Prateeka Rawal. That breakthrough triggered a catastrophic collapse, with Pakistan sliding from 27/0 to 35/6 in a matter of overs.
Shree Charani was instrumental in the middle-order demolition, taking three wickets. She dismissed Gull Feroza, who fell to a leading edge caught by Nandani Sharma, and trapped Shawaal Zulfiqar leg-before-wicket shortly after. Charani’s tactical bowling, which invited batters to play into vacant off-side areas, also accounted for Ayesha Zafar, who was caught by Harmanpreet Kaur.
The pressure continued to mount as Sadaf Shamas as Sadaf Shamas as Sadaf Shamas fell to a delivery that deflected off her pads onto the stumps. Captain Fatima Sana struggled to find her rhythm, facing seven balls without scoring before being trapped lbw by Deepti Sharma. Although Eyman Fatima and Umm-e-Haani attempted a brief recovery with a 10-run partnership, Eyman was dismissed following a failed attempt at a suicidal single.
Prema Rawat complemented the bowling effort by cleaning up the tail, dismissing Umm-e-Haani and Nashra Sandhu to finish with three wickets. Deepti Sharma wrapped up the innings by stumping Tuba Hassan, finalizing the historic low score for Pakistan. Before this encounter, Pakistan’s previous lowest total against India was 63, and their lowest overall T20 score was 56 against New Zealand during the 2024 Women’s World Cup.
The result further cements India’s dominance in the rivalry. In their 17 T20 encounters, India has now claimed 14 victories compared to Pakistan’s three. The disparity is even more pronounced in the ODI format, where India maintains an unblemished record, having won all 18 matches played between the two nations. The report also notes that mohammad Abdullah covers major sports event like FIFA WC, Cricket WC and Formula One. The report also notes that however, Pakistan did manage to make some inroads with a brief fightback. The report also notes that reducing India to 18/2, pakistani captain Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali off her own bowling before having Prateeka Rawal caught by Muneeba three balls later. The report also notes that well short of its scheduled four-hour duration, the match lasted just over two hours. The report also notes that both the openers were cruising along nicely without any problem. The report also notes that indian bowlers were desperate to break the partnership. The report also notes that after hitting Shafali for a boundary, Muneeba again gave herself room to in a bid to hit her square off the wicket.
