Bangkok, Feb 15: Skipper Radha Yadav led a dominant spin display before Dinesh Vrinda hammered a blazing half-century as India A Women cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Pakistan A Women in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars here on Sunday.
The victory marked India A’s first win of the tournament after its seven-wicket defeat to United Arab Emirates A Women in the opener on Friday.
The win lifted India A to second place in Group A behind the UAE.
India’s spinners choked Pakistan with relentless accuracy, sharing five wickets between them to bundle out their rivals for a modest 93 in 18.5 overs.
Radha (2/11 in 3 overs) spearheaded the charge with two crucial strikes, while Prema Rawat (2/16 in 3 overs) and Minnu Mani (1/10 in 2.5 overs) ensured Pakistan never built any meaningful partnerships.
Pacer Saima Thakor bowled exceptionally, picking two wickets while giving away just 14 runs in her four overs.
Chasing a modest target of 94, India suffered an early jolt when Humaira Kazi fell off the very first ball, but Vrinda quickly turned the contest on its head with a stunning counterattack.
She smashed an unbeaten 55 off just 29 deliveries, peppering the boundary 12 times to take the game away from Pakistan.
Vrinda found solid support in Anushka Sharma, who compiled a composed 24 off 26 balls. The duo stitched together a match-defining 78-run stand that put India firmly in control of the chase.
After Anushka’s dismissal, Tejal Hasabnis provided the finishing touches with a brisk 12 off five balls as India romped home in just 10.1 overs with 59 balls to spare. (PTI)
