Deepti Sharma on Sunday pulverised Pakistan with a five-wicket haul after Smriti Mandhana's half-century as India won by 64 runs to begin its Women's T20 World Cup campaign at Birmingham.
Mandhana's classy 44-ball-68 and Richa Ghosh's powerful 34 off 17 balls stood out as India managed a winning score of 170 for 6.
On the other hand, except for Muneeba Ali's 35-ball-41, there was no proper sting to Pakistan batting, as they folded for a meagre 106 in 17 overs.
Having played her part in a formidable 45-run stand with Ghosh, Deepti was in her element with the ball, picking up a career-best 5 for 10 in 4 overs, while left-arm spinner Shree Charani grabbed 3 for 21. Shafali Verma's happy knack of picking wickets also helped India.
Amid her five-wicket haul, Deepti also became the highest wicket-taker in the history of Women's T20 Internationals.
With the third game being played on the same Edgbaston track, India got the advantage of bowling second, as there was some turn on offer and the odd ball gripped, not allowing the batters to hit through the line, a PTI report noted.
The most telling contribution in India's fielding also came from Deepti, whose direct throw ended left-handed keeper-batter Muneeba's flashy innings.
Mandhana's elegance was on full display at Edgbaston as she caressed the ball to boundary with sheer timing, with Ghosh cameo adding to the push for the winning total.
In the second half too, Ghosh provided the final flourish as left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab went for 23 runs in the penultimate over, which eventually turned dismal.
The six off left-arm seamer Rubab had class written all over it as well. Dancing down the track, the inside-out boundaries off off-spinner Rameen Shamim were a work of art as she completed her half-century off just 34 balls. Her innings had nine boundaries and two sixes in it.
Shamim finally got Mandhana when the latter's mistimed hit was well taken by skipper Fatima Sana, who timed her slide to perfection.
Mandhana had company in her seasoned skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 35 balls), as the duo added 91 runs for the third wicket after Shafali Verma's (6) and Jemimah Rodrigues' (1) cheap dismissals had India under pressure at 18 for 2.
The skipper and her deputy were cautious with the Powerplay ending at 30 for 2, but they didn't let go of any opportunity to smash boundaries.
In the next seven overs, India scored 70 runs and Mandhana got a couple of reprieves, when Pakistan's fielders let crucial regulation chances slip by.
The left-hander was dropped off Rubab's bowling when her mistimed lofted shot was dropped by the fielder positioned at the mid-off, who failed to latch on to the ball while running backwards.
Another error was a big hit with the fielder at the wide long-on boundary, who saw it go for a six as it slipped between her palms. The unlucky bowler was left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal (2/41)—easily one of their best performers along with skipper Fatima Sana (2/33).
While Mandhana's footwork was a treat, it was also impressive to see Kaur muscling in a lot of deliveries using the depth of the crease. The Indian skipper used the conventional and slog sweep to maximum advantage
Once Mandhana was dismissed, India had a slump as Bharti Fulmali (0) was immediately stumped while trying an ugly shot and Kaur's flick off Sana was taken by Natalia Pervaiz, who had been stationed at the square leg boundary.
