Birmingham, June 14 (IANS) After claiming the best bowling figures of her T20 World Cup career and earning the Player of the Match award, Deepti Sharma credited the blessings of Hanuman Ji for India’s emphatic 64-run victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston on Sunday.

“All credit goes to the team and I am very grateful, Hanuman Ji is great,” Deepti said after returning sensational figures of 5/10 as India began their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in dominant fashion.

The experienced off-spinner delivered an outstanding performance in spin bowling, leading to a dramatic collapse as Pakistan fell from a promising 75/3 to 106 all out in just 17 overs while chasing India’s 170/6. Deepti mentioned that she enjoys bowling on pitches that support spinners and explained how varying her pace helped her break down the Pakistan batting order.

“I like these kinds of wickets. I think because it’s turning, I varied my pace with every ball and every over. That helped me a lot. I believe in myself and I bowl a little slower in the air, and I focus on the right areas. That’s what I was doing,” she said.

The all-rounder also shared her fondness for ICC events. “I like ICC tournaments. I think that’s where I started, so I enjoy them,” she stated.

Earlier, Smriti Mandhana’s elegant 68 and a late surge from Richa Ghosh, who scored 34, helped India reach a competitive score of 170/6. Pakistan started their chase aggressively, reaching 52/1 in the powerplay, marking their highest six-over total against India in Women’s T20 World Cup history. Muneeba Ali, who survived two dropped catches in the early overs, made India pay with a smooth innings that included four boundaries, while Gull Feroza also hit the fence twice as Pakistan seemed on track.

However, India’s spinners took control during the middle overs. Deepti struck first when Gull reverse-swept the ball straight to backward point. She then dismissed Ayesha Zafar, who was caught at short fine leg while trying another sweep shot. N Sree Charani joined in, taking a leading edge from Saira Jabeen that was caught at short cover.

The key moment came when Muneeba, who was batting confidently on 41, got run out by a direct hit from Deepti at backward point. Pakistan never recovered from that blow. Fatima Sana fell for a three-ball duck to Shafali Verma, Natalia Pervaiz was caught at extra cover off Charani, and Aliya Riaz and Rameen Shamim also fell as India’s spinners tightened their grip.

Deepti fittingly ended the innings by taking the last two wickets, achieving her first T20 World Cup five-for. She acknowledged the crowd’s support and noted the partnership that set the stage for India’s win. “Yeah, it’s an amazing crowd here, and a lot of people are supporting the Indian team today. That’s what we want in every game; let’s keep coming and supporting us,” she said. “I especially wanted to mention Smriti and Harry Di’s partnership. From there, we gained the momentum.”

–IANS

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