Contenders India started their Women’s T20 Asia Cup title defence on a rousing note, demolishing arch-foes Pakistan by seven wickets in Dambulla on Friday. India bundled out Pakistan for a below-par 108 after being asked to bowl and then chased down the target with as many as 35 balls remaining. Chasing 109, Indian openers Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) was at their best as they toyed with the Pakistani attack from the word go. It was an aggressive display of batting from both the Indian openers as they mostly dealt in fours and sixes.

The duo of Mandhana and Shafali hit two fours and a six off Tuba Hassan to collect 15 runs in the sixth over.

The seventh over bowled by Hassan yielded 21 runs with Mandhana hitting the bowler for five boundaries.

Pakistan finally tasted success in the 10th over in the form of Mandhana who was caught by Aliya Riaz at mid-wicket off the bowling of Syeda Aroob Shah.

Shafali departed in the 12th over, but by then, she and Mandhana had already done the damage.

Dayalan Hemalatha (14) didn’t last long, caught by Hassan off Nashra Sandhu.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then ensured a comfortable win for the title holders.

Earlier, India dished out a fine effort led by experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20).

India, after being asked to bowl first, tasted their first success in the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet at mid-on.

Vastrakar struck again, dismissing the other Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali with a short-pitched delivery, caught by Rodrigues at cover, reducing Pakistan to 26 for 2 after the fourth over.

The Indians didn’t allow Pakistani batters to settle down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Riaz, caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.

The Pakistani batters struggled to score runs, let alone build partnerships as Indian bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals to derail their opponents.

The next to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar who holed out to Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti as the batter went for her customary heave over the straight boundary.

It was raining wickets for India as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice in the last two deliveries of her spell.

Renuka first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) and then trapped Iram Javed leg before in the next ball to reduce Pakistan to 61 for 6 in 13 overs.

Thereafter Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched together a valuable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan forward.

But their partnership came to an end in the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward point off Deepti.

The 18th over bowled by Deepti saw three dismissals — Hassan, Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu.

While Hassan and Sandhu fell to Deepti, Shah was run out, denying the India spinner a hat-trick.

Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for two sixes in the 19th over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.

IND vs PAK Live Streaming Women’s Asia Cup: When And Where To Watch Match© BCCI/Sportzpics

Team India reached Sri Lanka on Wednesday ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup, which starts from Friday onwards. The defending champions, India will kickstart their journey towards a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title when they meet arch-rivals Pakistan at Dambulla on Friday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the team-members, including Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Varma, Renuka Singh, Shreyanka Patil and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, showing the fun and banter they had throughout their flight from Chennai to Dambulla.

“A journey filled with smiles and banter from Chennai to Dambulla! All set for #WomensAsiaCup2024 #TeamIndia | #ACC,” tweeted BCCI Women.

A journey filled with smiles and banter from Chennai to Dambulla!

All set for #WomensAsiaCup2024#TeamIndia | #ACC pic.twitter.com/FGl3HVCNbW

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 17, 2024

The 15-match tournament features full-member teams from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and will be joined by Malaysia, the UAE, Thailand, and Nepal.

Pakistan and India are placed in Group A along with Nepal and the UAE, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will play in the semi-finals on July 26.

The final is set to be played on July 28 in Dambulla.

Leading up to the Women’s Asia Cup, Team India has enjoyed a lot of on-field sucess, like beating South Africa 3-0 in the ODI series and one-off Test recently in June-July and drawing the three-match T20I series 1-1, with one game washed out due to rain.

Before that, India had a successful tour of Bangladesh, beating them 5-0 in T20Is from April-May.

Between December last year and January, India also hosted Australia for a one-off Test, three ODIs and T20Is each, winning the Test match, but losing the ODI series 0-3 and the T20I series 1-2.

All of these series/tournaments will be crucial for India’s preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being held this year from October 3-20 in Bangladesh, where India will be aiming for its first-ever major ICC women’s trophy.

India’s Women’s Asia Cup squad: India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan. Traveling reserves: Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghna Singh.

File image of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana© BCCI

India posted the biggest ever total in the history of women’s Test cricket by scoring a mammoth 603 for six declared before South Africa Women fought valiantly through Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp on day two of the one-off Test, here Saturday. The hosts resumed the day at the overnight score of 525 for four with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh beginning the proceedings. Playing her fifth Test, the India skipper raised her maiden half-century in the long format, scoring 69 of 115 balls while Richa (86) also got her career-best knock of 86 to extend India’s domination. They added 143 runs for the fifth wicket.

At 576, the Indians broke the record of the highest team total in the Women’s Test cricket, bettering the previous record held by Australia, who had posted 575 for nine declared against South Africa in Perth this February.

However, at 593, the stand was broken after Harmanpreet was trapped leg-before by Tumi Sekhukhune.

Just 10 runs later, Richa departed too after being trapped leg-before by Nonkululeko Mlaba, and the Indian captain declared the innings.

South Africa put up a spirited fight with top-order batter Sune Luus (65) and Marizanne (69 not out) as they finished the day at 236 for four, trailing by 367 runs.

Delmi Tucker remained the most successful South African bowler with figures of two for 141, while Masabata Klaas was the most economical of all.

The Proteas began on a convincing note with the bat and remained safe at 29 for no loss at the lunch break.

However, the hosts struck after the break, with Sneh Rana trapping the visiting captain leg-before for 20 with a delivery that surprisingly kept low, with the partnership lasting 33 runs.

In came Luss to join Bosch, and the pair made the most of the batting friendly wicket. The duo added 63 for the second wicket, but Rana broke the stand by removing Bosch for 39.

As Kapp joined Luus, South Africa was 106 for two at the tea break.

In the day’s final session, the two batters brought up their respective half-centuries and took the partnership to 93 runs before Luus was trapped leg-before by Deepti Sharma, with the score reading 189 for three.

The stand was Proteas’ best third-wicket partnership in the format.

Nine runs later, Delmi Tucker was caught behind off Rana for a duck. But, the pair of Kapp and Nadine de Klerk played out the remainder of the day with an unbeaten 38-run stand for the fifth wicket.

The hosts did not exactly struggle with the ball. While the lack of enough turns did make it challenging out there, the ball occasionally kept low, troubling the visitors.

The Indians were decent with their fielding efforts, but a couple of close chances did not go their way.

For India, Rana was the star with the ball, with her figures reading three for 61, whereas Deepti Sharma was also impressive (1/40).

Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues in action© PTI

The Indian women’s cricket team created history on the opening day of the Test match against South Africa on Friday as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side scored a mammoth 525 for the loss of four wickets. It was the most runs scored by any team in a day’s play in Test history (both men and women). The record previously belonged to Sri Lanka men’s cricket team who scored 509 for the loss of nine wickets in the Colombo Test against Bangladesh in 2022. In women’s cricket, the record belonged to England who scored 431 for the loss of two wickets against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1935.

This was also the first time that any team scored more than 520 runs in one day during a Test match.

South African spinner Delmi Tucker praised the Indian batters for producing a stunning effort on the opening day of the one-off Test, but hoped that her side can turn the tide around from Day 2.

Batting first, India posted a mammoth 525 for four with a record-breaking Shafali Verma (205) and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana (149) doing the maximum damage.

Tucker was the most successful bowler for SA, grabbing two wickets but she gave away 141 runs.

“We will look back and refresh today, sit down and have discussions about tomorrow. Nothing taking away from their (Indian) batters today; they were phenomenal,” Tucker told reporters during the post-day press conference.

Although the Proteas managed to keep Shafali silent during the preceding ODI series, as she managed only 52 runs in three outings, Tucker felt that the Test format gave the Indian ample time to settle down and find her range.

“It’s a different format, and obviously, she (Shafali) has more time (to settle down). She gave her all and made the most of the opportunity since she is a great batter,” said Tucker.

“Yes, we were a bit off from our lines (with the ball) and wish we could have been better. But, nothing to take away from her as she did (bat) really well.” The pitch was predicted to be spin-friendly, but that wasn’t the case on Friday, while misfields and overthrows added to the Proteas’ woes.

Tucker admitted that the visitors could not execute their strategies well on the day, and the city’s hot weather too played its part.

“We did try a few things when Smriti and Verma were batting. We switched to around the wicket and changed the field. We were happy with it for some time, but they took it away,” she acknowledged.

“We could have definitely been better on the field. Yeah, it’s hot out there. Also, overthrows and misfields are not the best of things. But, staying positive and sharp could help in avoiding those misfields.” However, Tucker focused on the fact that the pitch had started to offer some turn and they should get some purchase on Day 2.

“We knew this wicket was going to be good for spin and there was early movement upfront. There was more spin after lunch and we need to take more advantage of it tomorrow,” she said.

The South African women do not have a proper red-ball setup back home, having no multi-day competitions. Tucker said it has made their task tougher despite doing their homework.

“We (SA Women) are still young (in) Test cricket, so we are still getting used to it. It’s tough unlike T20s and ODIs, but we are still learning.

“I don’t think we did too bad. We did our homework and we knew what was coming,” she concluded. 

(With PTI inputs)

Young opener Shafali Verma played out of her skin to score a record-breaking double century, which helped India to the highest-ever single-day total as a plethora of landmarks were rewritten on the opening day of the one-off Test against South Africa here on Friday. Shafali’s double century (205), scored off just 194 balls, and her formidable 292-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana (149) set the platform for India’s massive 525 for 4 on a day when the visitors were sent on a leather hunt by the host batters. Shafali eclipsed the double-century record of Annabel Sutherland of Australia, who had achieved the feat off 248 deliveries in a Test against South Africa in February. The 20-year-old Indian also became only the second Indian woman cricketer after the legendary Mithali Raj to hit a double century in Test cricket.

Mithali’s 214 had come off 407 balls and the former India skipper achieved it during the drawn second Test against England at Taunton in August, 2002.

India also broke the 89-year-old mark for most runs scored in a single day by 94 runs. England women had racked up 431/2 against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1935.

Shafali was dismissed soon after completing her double-ton, being run out at 205 (197 balls). The young opener’s previous best in Tests was 96. The hard-hitting batter, playing only in her fifth Test, smashed 23 boundaries and eight maximums during her historic knock.

The day belonged to Shafali as she scored with ease, making the Chepauk crowd erupt in joy while leaving the Porteas bowlers clueless about their line and length.

Electing to bat, Shafali and Mandhana exploited the familiar conditions and the inexperience of the bowlers to push the visitors on the back-foot in the opening session itself.

The pair took the side to 130 for no loss at the lunch break, and once the easy-paced pitch, eased up further, the duo made merry, scoring virtually a run a ball.

While the pacers did get some purchase from the wicket and managed to tie down the well-set pair a bit in the post-lunch session, the spinners struggled.

The two brought up their centuries at almost the same time, taking the team total past 250.

Mandhana was the first to depart, caught in the slip cordon while trying to poke at a delivery from Delmi Tucker. The partnership yielded 292 runs and also helped the India vice-captain achieve here best individual score in the longest format. Her previous best was 127.

This was also India’s highest partnership for any wicket in the format. It was also the second-highest partnership in Women’s Test for any wicket. The world record stands in the name of Australia’s LA Reeler and DA Annetts, who scored 309 runs for the third wicket against England in Wetherby in 1987.

Shafali’s next partner Satheesh Shubha (15 runs) lasted just 27 balls before she was sent back by Nadine de Klerk.

Shafali then got support from Jemimah Rodrigues (55). She raced to a historic double-ton after the tea break, smashing consecutive sixes and a single off Tucker.

Shafali’s stay at the crease ended following a mix-up with Jemimah.

Jemimah, who appeared to be in good touch, brought up her third Test half-century shortly thereafter, before falling to Tucker, as India reached 450/4, a huge total by any yardstick.

But there was more to come as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (42 not out) and Richa Ghosh (43 not out) took charge. The pair helped India become the first team to cross the 500-run mark in a single day of a women’s Test match. 

Smriti Mandhana after completing her century vs South Africa; Shafali Verma applauds.© AFP

Indian women’s cricket team at NDTV Indian Of The Year 2024 award ceremony© NDTV