Congratulations @BCCIWomen
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) June 14, 2026
BEST SUNDAY
On the actual playing field in Birmingham, the national side could not have envisioned a more spectacular start to their competitive league campaign. The squad completely outplayed their opponents to secure a massive sixty-four-run victory.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana anchor-led the first-innings batting effort excellently by playing a highly elegant knock of sixty-eight runs from just forty-four deliveries. Her commanding performance quickly stabilized the order after early wickets.
Explosive middle-order wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh provided an energetic finishing cameo, smashing thirty-four runs off seventeen balls. The rapid late-innings assault successfully propelled the total to a formidable 170-6 within the regulation twenty overs.
Chasing a steep target, the opposition batsmen initially staged an aggressive response by capitalising on consecutive fielding lapses. They raced to their highest-ever short-format powerplay score against the hosts, reaching 52-1.
