Fearless Cricket Key to Victory, Says Harmanpreet

India’s captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, wants her team to play courageous cricket in order to win the women’s Asia Cup for the eighth time in a row. Her team’s decisive victory over Pakistan on Friday set the tone.

After being asked to bowl, India dismissed Pakistan for a below-par 108 and chased down the score with up to 35 balls left.

Opening pair Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) of India were at their best as they toyed with the Pakistani onslaught right away, needing 109.

“Our bowlers and openers did the job. The first game is always a pressure game that sets the tone. Our entire unit played really well. When we were bowling, we were talking about early breakthroughs. With the bat, credit goes to Smriti and Shafali. We want to keep playing fearless cricket,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Nida Dar, the captain of Pakistan, claimed that her team’s performance in the two powerplays was what decided the outcome.

“The difference was the powerplays, we lost both. The bowlers did well towards the end, though. We are confident of bouncing back,” she said.

Proven Indian spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20), who was named player of the match, expressed her happiness at having helped the team win.

“I am feeling really good as I could deliver as per the plan. I had the belief. As a unit, we are doing well for the last few months. The camps we have had helped a lot.

“I worked on my bowling after the South Africa series, so that helped. Nida Dar is a good batter, so her wicket was important,” she said.

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