IND-W vs PAK-W

Not for the first time, the buildup for India vs Pakistan was actually grander than the contest itself and once again India have outclassed their opponents. Smriti and Harman's steading of the ship, Richa's blitz at the death and then Deepti's magic with the ball along with the other spinners has made sure India thump Pakistan again and the Women In Blue have started their World Cup campaign with a bang. India have got WC debutants Netherlands next while Pakistan will face the wrath of a wounded South African team, both on the 17th. There is a break tomorrow as far as the tournament is concerned, the action will resume day after but there is a lot more stuff lined up for you at SK. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and everyone else in the team. Cheers!

A happy looking Indian skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur with some words now: Very happy. Firstly just want to thank the Indian fans, they have been there for us always. Very thankful for them. (on Smriti and Deepti's performances) Whenever we need, they are there to push the team forward, very happy for them. It was a decent pitch, we put some unnecessary pressure on ourselves at the start but then me and Smriti got together and tried to control the game

(Richa Ghosh's entry point) If it was in my hand, I would love to send her on the very first ball but she has a role to play for the team. Cricket is a game like that, if you take all the catches you will win all the matches. (NRR boost with this win) Every league game is important, this will help us later on in the tournament. (update on her fitness as she was hobbling a bit) I'm fine, thank you

Fatima Sana [Pakistan captain]: [On the defeat]"It's obviously disappointing, but we still have a long way to go in this World Cup. We need to learn from this performance, improve in key areas, and come back stronger in the next matches."[On India's total]"I thought we did well for most of the innings and kept things under control until the final few overs. However, we leaked some extra runs towards the end, and a few lapses in the field proved costly. Those are areas we need to address going forward."[On the fielding performance]"Catches win matches, and unfortunately we weren't able to hold on to some important chances. It happens, but we know fielding is an area where we must improve. If you don't take your opportunities in the field, it can end up costing you the game."[On the batting effort]"I was pleased with how we started. The top order batted well and we felt we had the better of the powerplay. But after that, we lost momentum and couldn't build the partnerships we needed. That's something we'll need to work on if we want different results in the games ahead."[On the team's young squad]"We have a young group and these experiences are part of the learning process. The more situations they face at this level, the better equipped they'll be to handle them in the future. The key now is to take the lessons from today and move forward."

Diwakar: "This is best bowling figure for an Indian in Women's T20 WC"
Not only in WCs but in all T20s, third best overall for anyone in the T20 WCs

Deepti Sharma is the Player of the Match for her FIFER! Here's what she has to say: [On her five-wicket haul]"I'm very grateful. These are the kind of wickets I enjoy bowling on, and all the credit goes to the team. I always feel special playing in ICC tournaments, and I'm thankful that I was able to contribute in such an important game."[On the key to her success on this surface]"The pitch was offering turn, so I focused on varying my pace regularly and mixing things up. That helped me a lot. My plan was to bowl a little slower through the air, trust the conditions, and keep hitting the right areas."[On playing in England]"I've enjoyed my cricket here. The support from the crowd was amazing today, and it was great to see so many fans backing the Indian team. We hope they continue to come out and support us throughout the tournament."[On India's batting effort]"I thought the partnership between Smriti and Harmanpreet was crucial. They helped us regain momentum during a challenging phase and laid the foundation for a competitive total."[On staying patient despite a lean run of wickets]"I wasn't worried when the wickets weren't coming. I've always believed in my ability and trusted that when the team needed me, I would be ready to step up. That's the mindset I carry whenever I take the field."

5:57 PM local time, 10:27 PM IST: MATCH SUMMARY

India Women (170/5 in 20 overs) beat Pakistan Women (106 all-out in 17 overs) by 64 runs

Smriti Mandhana 68(44) | Deepti Sharma 5/10(4)
Muneeba Ali 41(35) | Fatima Sana 2/33(4)

That ended pretty quickly, isn't it? Deepti Sharma runs through Pakistan and gives India their first win to start their tournament in style. Third-best figures ever in Women's T20 WCs, she becomes the second Indian after Renuka Singh with a fifer in T20 World Cups

Not to forget her bullet arm which hit bullseye and got the wicket of Muneeba Ali who was the highest scorer for Pakistan

Not only that, Deepti Sharma (166 wickets) is now the leading wicket-taker in all Women's T20Is, what a night out for her!

Chasing 171, something which has never been done before in the tournament's history, Pakistan did issue a statement at the start. Their openers, Muneeba Ali and Gul Feroza, took the bull by the horns at the start and caused some wrinkles on Indian foreheads getting to 37/0 in 4 overs. India were guilty of dropping a couple of catches at the start, Muneeba Ali got two extra lives and that helped Pakistan to get going

However, the introuduction of Deepti Sharma changed everything. She struck off her fifth ball and got the opening breakthrough and from then Pakistan only went down and down. Deepti came back after the powerplay as well and got the second wicket as well and after the field restrictions opened up India completely shut the doors on Pakistan applying a high class spin choke

Indian spinners picked up 9 out of the 10 wickets to fall, the tenth was a run out from Deepti. Shree Charani was very impressive as well, she picked up a 3-er while Shafali got a wicket as well.

In the end, it ended up being a no-contest as it is so often the case between these two teams

16.6 Deepti Sharma to Nashra Sandhu, OUT! DEEPTI WRAPS IT UP WITH A FIFER! What an effort with the ball from Deepti Sharma and completely dismantled Pakistan on her own. Another India-Pakistan clash, another Indian triumph. The Women in Blue continue their dominance over their arch-rivals on the World Cup stage.

Good length on the off-stump, Nashra swept it straight to Harman who clings on to it at short mid-wicket. India kick off their World Cup campaign with a thumping win over their arch-rivals Pakistan.

16.4 Deepti Sharma to Tasmia Rubab, OUT! RODRIGUES HOLDS ON TO ANOTHER ONE! Fourth wicket of the game for Deepti! Tasmia makes decent connection, but again, not enough as it went straight down the throat of Rodrigues who backtracks and clings on to it.

16.3 Deepti Sharma to Tasmia Rubab, fires it full on the stumps, Tasmia trying to play this across the line, but inside edged it back on to the pad.