Captain Mithali Raj was “relieved” as India began their Women’s World Cup campaign on a good note, brushing Pakistan aside by 107 runs in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Opting to bat on a slow-ish Bay Oval wicket, India found the going to be tough early on, till a partnership between Sneh Rana (53 not out) and Pooja Vastrakar (67) revived their innings and propelled the team total to a competitive 244 for 7.
Thereafter, left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad struck four times while Sneh and senior pace bowler Jhulan Goswami took two scalps apiece to bundle Pakistan out for a paltry 137 as India sealed the game with seven overs to spare.
The performer of the day was indeed Vastrakar for the intent she showed right through her 59-ball knock, smashing eight boundaries. The scenario was looking ominous for India when they were struggling at 114 for 6 in the 34th over, with Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma (40), skipper Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur, who came in at No.5, dismissed.
However, coming out to bat at No.8, Vastrakar, on World Cup debut, lived up to her billing as an effective lower-order batter and took the pressure off Sneh with her assuredness at the crease. Together, Sneh and Vastrakar stitched 122 for the seventh wicket in just 16 overs, which truly was massive in terms of the outcome of the game.
"The focus was to get the team towards 200, so I planned my batting with that in mind,” Vastrakar said later.
Batting under pressure is something the 22-year-old enjoys. “I love batting under pressure. In domestic cricket, coaches always send me out to bat when the team is under pressure,” she said.
The 245-run target was in any case difficult to chase down for Pakistan, who don’t really get counted among the strongest teams in women’s cricket. Not for once did they look to be creating any pressure on India during their run chase, which only made matters easier for the likes of Jhulan and Gayakwad.
“We’re relieved to have won the first game, but there are a lot of things we have to work on,” Mithali said at the post-match presentation.
“When you lose wickets like that, it puts pressure. So from that perspective, it was a very important partnership between Pooja and Sneh that got us back in the game.
“Also important is the need for our top-order to score runs and that’s one are we want to address,” Mithali pointed out.