India’s captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, commended the performances of Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Richa Ghosh after India’s 64-run win against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup opener at Edgbaston. India scored 170/6, with Smriti top-scoring at 68, while Deepti Sharma’s 5-10 and N Sree Charani’s 3-21 helped bowl out Pakistan for 106 in 17 overs, securing two points and a net run rate of 3.20.
Harmanpreet expressed her satisfaction with the players’ contributions, stating, “Whenever we need, they’re always there to push the team. So, really happy the way they both played today.” Reflecting on the match conditions, she mentioned, “Well, I think it was a decent pitch, but I think initially we unnecessarily put pressure on us. But after that, when Smriti and I were batting, we tried to control the game and then we got what we wanted.”
Regarding Richa Ghosh’s quick 34 off 17 balls, Harmanpreet remarked, “If it’s in my hand, I would love to send her (to bat) on the first ball. But I think she has some role to play (lower down the order) and she’s doing really well and really happy with the way she played today.” She also commented on India’s fielding, acknowledging some errors but overall satisfaction with the effort.
Looking forward, Harmanpreet emphasized the significance of net run rate, stating, “Every league game is important and I’m really happy we won today because that is something, which is going to help us (at the) end of the league games.” Addressing concerns about her fitness after a late-game injury scare, she reassured, “I’m fine. Thank you very much. Definitely very happy and firstly, I want to thank all Indian fans. They’ve been amazing. They’ve been there for us. So, we really, really want to thank them.”
