Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed immense delight following a commanding victory over Pakistan in their Women T20 World Cup encounter held in Dubai. Speaking after the match, the skipper emphasized her satisfaction that despite it being a regular league-stage fixture, the squad maintained an uncompromising and aggressive attitude against their arch-rivals throughout the contest. India successfully sealed a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in this final group-stage fixture.
A formidable spin quartet comprising Sri Charani, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma dismantled the opposition batting lineup, restricting Pakistan to their lowest-ever total in Women T20 Internationals at just 55 runs. The chase was completed swiftly as India reached the target in a mere 8.4 overs. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Harmanpreet noted that the fixture held immense significance for the group. She voiced strong approval for the aggressive template the team strives to maintain, lauding the bowling unit for executing their tactical plans flawlessly, reading the pitch conditions accurately, and bowling accordingly.
The fixture also marked a monumental personal milestone as Harmanpreet appeared in her 150th T20 International match as captain, etching her name in history as the first cricketer across both men's and women's international formats to reach this remarkable landmark. Reflecting on the feat, she expressed deep gratitude, admitting she had never imagined reaching such heights, and urged supporters to continue backing the squad while hoping to sustain her positive contributions moving forward. Statistics show that the Indian women's team has featured in 228 T20Is overall, with Harmanpreet participating in 205 of those encounters.
Young spinner Sri Charani delivered a stellar spell, conceding only seven runs while claiming three wickets in her four overs, and credited her success directly to the guidance provided by the bowling coach. Charani explained that her core objective was to stick to her strengths and bowl in tandem with the field settings, while constantly trying to impart heavy revolutions on the ball. Standing just one scalp away from the milestone of 50 T20I wickets, she insisted that this impending milestone would not distract her, maintaining that she simply wishes to continue performing to the best of her abilities.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana admitted her disappointment with the batting unit's collapse but defended her decision to bat first after winning the toss, pointing to the presence of a capable bowling attack in their ranks. She noted that the pitch was fresh and the team aimed to post a competitive total by utilizing their bowling strengths. Fatima stood out as the lone bright spot for her side with the ball, striking early to remove three Indian batters. Concluding her remarks, she stated that her personal three-wicket haul mattered little given the team's overall result, but emphasized that the squad would look to put up a better display in their final outing.
