Richa Ghosh’s 35 off 20 lifted India to 247 against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
On a pitch where every other India batter found it difficult to score, Ghosh, coming in at No. 8 in the 45th over, hit two sixes and three boundaries, setting up the highest team total without a fifty-plus stand in Women’s ODIs. Harleen Deol top scored with 46 as Pakistan’s bowlers did not let India run away on what Jemimah Rodrigues described as “not an easy pitch” for batting. It will be the second-highest chase in Colombo if Pakistan win.
Pakistan opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal after putting India in under grey skies, but soon went back to their usual new-ball pair of Diana Baig and Fatima Sana. Though Baig was hit for three consecutive boundaries by Pratika Rawal in the second over, she got assistance from the conditions and beat both batters time and again. Pakistan, however, lost a review after an lbw shout against Smriti Mandhana was not given with the replays revealing Baig’s delivery had pitched outside leg.
Though Mandhana punished the next delivery for a boundary, she struggled to get going especially against Sana who bowled tight lines, not allowing her to score on the offside. She eventually fell lbw to a Sana inswinger for 23, also burning a review in the process.
The introduction of spin further slowed down the scoring. Though Deol walked down the track and hit Rameen Shamim for a six, Pakistan kept building dot-ball pressure. Rawal was undone by a Sadia Iqbal arm-ball and at the end of 20 overs, India had played out 78 dot balls.
With captain Harmanpreet Kaur also falling without making a big impact, leaving India 108 for 3 in 25 overs, the onus was on Deol to build on her start. India were in more trouble after Baig had Rodrigues caught behind for 2, but it turned out to be a no-ball. Rodrigues went on to smash the free-hit for a boundary. Her partnership with Deol lasted 52 balls but they were not able to lift the scoring rate.
Pakistan then hit back in consecutive overs. After Shamim had Deol holing out to long-on, Nashra Sandhu had Rodrigues lbw for 32 by overturning a not-out decision. In between those two overs, there was a 15-minute delay in play while the playing area at Khettarama was fumigated to clear it of a swarm of insects that had troubled the players through the first innings.
India sent in Sneh Rana ahead of Ghosh and the struggle to score continued. She eventually holed out for 20 off 33 while struggling to break free, which brought Ghosh to the middle. She went on to punish the fast bowlers, smashing Sana’s slower delivery over wide long-on, even as wickets fell around her. She took 13 runs off Baig in the 48th over, with Kranti Goud contributing two boundaries in the end to take India to what seemed like an above-par total.