IND W vs PAK W: India pacer Arundhati Reddy shines with 3 wickets, Pakistan held to 105-8

After a disastrous display of bowling against New Zealand, Team India made a significant improvement with the ball, restricting Pakistan to just 105 runs in their 20 overs. The Women in Blue claimed 8 wickets, all at crucial junctures, not allowing the Pakistani women to form any partnerships in Match 7 of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

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On a low, slow pitch, Pakistan got off to a poor start, losing Gull Feroza (0 off 4) and Sidra Amin (8 off 11) during the Powerplay. Omaima Sohail (3 off 6) also didn't last long, leaving Muneeba Ali (17 off 26) and Nida Dar (28 off 34) to rebuild the innings.

While Nida was solid at one end, she lost partners one after another until captain Fatima Sana (13 off 8) arrived and looked dangerous, hitting consecutive fours. However, she fell to an outstanding catch by Richa Ghosh. Tuba Hassan also failed to make an impact, departing for a duck.

Syeda Aroob Shah (14* off 17) added some useful runs towards the end alongside Nida, and a boundary off the last ball from Nashra Sandhu (6 off 2) helped Pakistan finish at 105.

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Arundhati Reddy was the standout bowler for India with three wickets, while Shreyanka Patil claimed two. Renuka Thakur Singh, Deepti Sharma, and Asha Sobhana each picked up one wicket. The total appears about 20 runs short of par, but Pakistan, boasting five spinners, will be looking to achieve something special to secure their second consecutive win. 

For India, this is a must-win game, ideally by a significant margin to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).

Teams:

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, S Sajana, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Muneeba Ali(w), Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Omaima Sohail, Fatima Sana(c), Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Syeda Aroob Shah, Sadia Iqbal

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