Women's World Cup 2022, Pakistan vs India Stats Review: Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana maintain India's perfect record against arch-rivals

Opener Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad brought their A-game out to hand Pakistan a thrashing by 107 runs in both sides’ opening encounter in the Women’s World Cup 2022, which took place at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Three Indian players notched up half-centuries and Gayakwad took four wickets to start India’s World Cup campaign in style against arch-rivals Pakistan. Notably, India’s dominance over the Women in Green continued as they have now beaten in all 11 meetings in ODIs so far.

Speaking about how the match panned out, Indian skipper Mithali Raj won the toss and opted to bat first. Mandhana completed 2500 runs in the ODI format with her knock of 52 runs. Shefali Verma bagged a duck as Deepti Sharma scored 40 runs off 57 deliveries. The team looked in deep trouble when skipper Mithali, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Richa Ghosh all got out for single-digit scores. The team was faltering at 114/6 and that’s when Sneh Rana and Pooja joined the party to stitch a record 122-run partnership, the highest by any pair for the seventh wicket in Women’s ODIs. Both smashed fifties and took their side to a total of 244/7 in 50 overs.

In reply, opening batter Sidra Ameen registered the highest score for her team with an innings of 30 runs. All Indian bowlers snared wickets with Gayakwad being the standout performer for her brilliant spell of 4/31 in ten overs. Experienced bowler Jhulan Goswami and Sneh Rana took two wickets apiece to end Pakistan’s innings for just 137 runs in 43 overs. For her breezy knock of 67 runs off 59 deliveries, Pooja Vastrakar was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from India vs Pakistan, Women’s World Cup 2022 group match:

 2513 – Smriti Mandhana became the fourth Indian to complete 2500 runs in Women’s ODIs.

3 – Rajeshwari Gayakwad recorded the third-best bowling figures for India against Pakistan in Women’s ODIs. Ekta Bisht took 5/8 in Colombo (PSS) and 5/18 in Derby in the same year 2017.

11 – India won their 11th ODI match against Pakistan. Both have met in 11 games and all of them have been won by India.

1 – With 122 runs, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar shared the highest seventh-wicket partnership in the history of Women’s ODI cricket.

1 – Mithali Raj became the first woman to appear in six different World Cups. She made her WC debut in the year 2000 and since then has played in five WC’s 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2022.

3 – With 53 not out, Sneh Rana recorded the third-highest score for India Women at no. seven in ODIs. Reema Malhotra had scored an unbeaten 59 against New Zealand in 2009 and Jhluan Goswami 57 against New Zealand in 2015.

1 – Pooja Vastrakar registered the highest score (67) for India at number eight in the ODIs. The previous best was 47 not out by Amita Sharma against West Indies in 2011.

2 – Overall, Vastrakar achieved the second-best ODI score at number eight. England’s Lynsey Askew is on top for her innings of 68 against NZ in 2007.

25 – Mandhana is now fourth on the list for openers with the most 50-plus scores (25). She surpassed Lisa Keightley and Laura Wolvaardt’s tally of 24 such scores.

4 – Out of the 11 matches overall, both teams have met four times in World Cups and India emerged winners every single time.