India captain Mithali Raj said she was relieved after the 107-round win over Pakistan and praised Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana for their winning partnership for Sunday’s seventh wicket.
India needs to work on many things: Mithali Raj ‘relieved’ after defeating Pakistan (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- India beat Pakistan in the World Cup opener by 107 runs
- Happy we beat Pakistan but still work to do: Mithali Raj
- An important partnership between Pooja and Sneh has brought us back: Mithali Raj
Captain Mithali Raj said she was relieved after India’s convincing 107-round win over Pakistan in Sunday’s opening match of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Mithali was full of praise for Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana as the duo hit a 123-run streak to save India after a sudden collapse in top order against Pakistan.
However, Mithali pointed out that India has a lot to do and they need to get the top-order runs if they want to continue their winning streak in the current ICC tournament. India next meets New Zealand in Thursday’s tournament.
India vs Pakistan, Women’s World Cup 2022: highlights
Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar, who decided to hit after the coin landed in India’s favour, hit useful half centuries to help their team recover from an early wobble and at Bay Oval 244 for seven to post.
Chasing a tricky target of 245, the Pakistani team fell well short of the mark and had gone all out with 137 in 43 overs, losing their 11th straight game to neighbors India in a 50-over format.
“I’m relieved to have won the first game but there are still a lot of things we need to work on. Losing wickets like that puts pressure on you,” said Mithali Raj at the awards ceremony after the game.
“The very important partnership between Pooja and Sneh brought us back. The important thing is that the top order scores are going, we want to address that. When you have all-rounders like Sneh, Pooja, and Deepti, it strengthens both departments. We have a few days, Pooja will definitely recover and be fit for the next game,” added Mithali.
India had entered their World Cup opener with a 10-0 record in ODIs and Mithali Raj’s side built on that by continuing their dominance over their neighbors in the game’s 50-over format.
