India began their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating Pakistan by 64 runs at Edgbaston.
Smriti Mandhana starred with a fluent 68, while Richa Ghosh provided a late flourish with 34 to help India post 170/6 in 20 overs. Pakistan started aggressively in the chase, reaching 52/1 in the powerplay, but India’s spinners turned the game around. Deepti Sharma produced a sensational career-best spell of 5/10, dismantling Pakistan’s middle and lower order. Left-arm spinner N Sree Charani chipped in with 3/21 as Pakistan collapsed from 75/3 to 106 all out in 17 overs.
The comprehensive victory gave India two crucial points and a strong net run rate boost.
Brief Scores
India – 170/6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 68, Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Fatima Sana 2-33, Sadia Iqbal 2-41)
Pakistan 106 all out in 17 overs (Muneeba Ali Siddiqui 41, Aliya Riaz 18; Deepti Sharma 5-10, N Sree Charani 3-21)