Captain Radha Yadav marshalled a commanding spin effort before Dinesh Vrinda blasted a scintillating half-century as India A Women stormed to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan A Women in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament on Sunday.
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The win marked India A’s first points of the campaign after their seven-wicket loss to United Arab Emirates A Women in the opener and lifted them to second place in Group A behind the UAE.
India’s bowlers, led by their spinners, completely strangled Pakistan, who were bowled out for just 93 in 18.5 overs. Radha set the tone with figures of 2 for 11 in three overs, striking at crucial moments.
Prema Rawat (2/16) and Minnu Mani (1/10) applied sustained pressure through the middle overs, preventing Pakistan from building any meaningful partnerships. Pacer Saima Thakor complemented the spin attack superbly, claiming 2 for 14 in her four overs.
Chasing 94, India suffered an early setback when Humaira Kazi fell off the first ball. However, Vrinda swiftly seized control with a breathtaking counterattack.
The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 55 off just 29 deliveries, striking 12 boundaries in a dominant display of strokeplay. She found able support in Anushka Sharma, who anchored the innings with a steady 24 off 26 balls.
The pair added a decisive 78-run partnership that effectively sealed the contest. After Anushka’s dismissal, Tejal Hasabnis finished the job with a brisk 12 off five balls as India romped home in just 10.1 overs, with 59 deliveries to spare.
