-Kranti Gaur’s Stellar Performance
Columbo, 06 October (Sports Desk)
India Women registered a commanding 88-run victory over Pakistan Women in the sixth match of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on October 5, 2025. Opting to field first after winning the toss on a slow, rain-affected pitch, Pakistan restricted India to 247 all out in 50 overs, but their batting imploded in the chase, folding for 159 in 42.2 overs—their lowest total in a World Cup match. Kranti Gaud’s 3/20 and Deepti Sharma’s 3/45 dismantled the top order, with Shree Charani (2/38) and Sneh Rana (2) supporting. Sidra Amin’s gritty 81 (106 balls; 9×4, 1×6) was Pakistan’s lone resistance, including their first-ever six against India. In reply, Bangladesh chased 248 in 31.1 overs for 130/3, led by Rubya Haider’s unbeaten 54 (77 balls; 5×4) on debut. Sobhana Mostary (24* off 19; 3×4) and Farzana Hoque (35 off 52; 3×4) set the tone with a 57-run opening stand. Kranti Gaud was Player of the Match for her match-winning spell. India (2-0) top the table with +1.5 NRR, while Pakistan (0-2) face an uphill battle against England.
The match featured a controversial run-out of Muneeba Ali (2), ruled out as her bat was in the air when hit by Deepti Sharma’s direct throw (DRS confirmed). A 15-minute halt due to a bug swarm from recent rains was compensated by a shorter break. Post-match, no handshakes occurred, echoing group-stage tensions.
Toss and Playing XIs
- India Women XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh. (Impact Sub: Radha Yadav—used for fielding/catch.)
- Pakistan Women XI: Muneeba Ali (wk), Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Sidra Nawaz, Fatima Sana (c), Diana Baig, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu. (Impact Sub: Not used.)
India Women Innings: 247 all out (50 overs)
India struggled for momentum on a slow track, with Harleen Deol’s 46 anchoring the middle order and Richa Ghosh’s late 35* providing a flourish.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pratika Rawal | c Sadaf Shamas b Diana Baig | 31 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 63.27 |
| Smriti Mandhana | lbw b Sadia Iqbal | 23 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 63.89 |
| Harleen Deol | c Sidra Nawaz b Fatima Sana | 46 | 65 | 4 | 0 | 70.77 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | lbw b Nashra Sandhu | 32 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 86.49 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur (c) | c Muneeba Ali b Diana Baig | 19 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 76.00 |
| Richa Ghosh (wk) | not out | 35* | 20 | 3 | 1 | 175.00 |
| Deepti Sharma | c Sidra Nawaz b Diana Baig | 25 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 75.76 |
| Sneh Rana | c Aliya Riaz b Fatima Sana | 20 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 60.61 |
| Kranti Gaud | b Sadia Iqbal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shree Charani | b Sadia Iqbal | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Renuka Singh | not out | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 14) | 15 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 247 all out (50 overs) | 20 | 1 | 4.94 RPO |
- Fall of Wickets: 1-48 (Rawal, 10.5 ov), 2-85 (Mandhana, 19.1 ov), 3-133 (Deol, 30.3 ov), 4-145 (Rodrigues, 33.4 ov), 5-165 (Kaur, 37.5 ov), 6-209 (Sharma, 44.2 ov), 7-232 (Rana, 47.5 ov), 8-232 (Gaud, 47.6 ov), 9-234 (Charani, 48.3 ov), 10-247 (Renuka Singh, 49.6 ov).
- Key Highlights: Powerplay: 43/1. Deol-Rodrigues 48-run stand; Ghosh’s 35* off 20 (175 SR) late surge.
- Pakistan Bowling:
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Diana Baig 10 0 45 3 4.50 Sadia Iqbal 10 0 40 3 4.00 Fatima Sana 9 0 52 2 5.78 Nashra Sandhu 10 0 50 1 5.00 Rameen Shamim 7 0 36 0 5.14 Syeda Aroob Shah 4 0 24 0 6.00
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Pakistan Women Innings: 159 all out (42.2 overs, target 248)
Pakistan’s chase crumbled to 26/3 in 8 overs, with Sidra Amin’s 81 fighting a lone battle.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muneeba Ali (wk) | run out (Deepti Sharma, direct hit) | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Sadaf Shamas | c & b Kranti Gaud | 6 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Sidra Amin | c Kaur b Sneh Rana | 81 | 106 | 9 | 1 | 76.42 |
| Aliya Riaz | c Deepti Sharma b Kranti Gaud | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Natalia Pervaiz | c Radha Yadav b Kranti Gaud | 33 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 71.74 |
| Fatima Sana (c) | c Mandhana b Deepti Sharma | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 13.33 |
| Sidra Nawaz | c & b Sneh Rana | 14 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 63.64 |
| Rameen Shamim | b Deepti Sharma (golden duck) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Diana Baig | run out (Kaur, direct hit) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sadia Iqbal | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nashra Sandhu | c Mostary b Shree Charani | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 18) | 19 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 159 all out (42.2 overs) | 16 | 1 | 3.76 RPO |
- Fall of Wickets: 1-6 (Muneeba Ali, 3.6 ov), 2-21 (Sadaf Shamas, 8 ov), 3-26 (Aliya Riaz, 11.1 ov), 4-95 (Natalia Pervaiz, 27.1 ov), 5-102 (Fatima Sana, 30.5 ov), 6-143 (Sidra Nawaz, 38 ov), 7-146 (Rameen Shamim, 38.3 ov), 8-150 (Sidra Amin, 39.5 ov), 9-159 (Diana Baig, 42.2 ov).
- Key Highlights: Powerplay: 25/2. Amin’s 81 included Pakistan’s first six vs India (off Rana); 18 wides from Bangladesh.
- India Bowling:
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Kranti Gaud 10 3 20 3 2.00 Deepti Sharma 9 0 45 3 5.00 Shree Charani 8.2 0 38 2 4.55 Sneh Rana 7 0 31 2 4.43 Renuka Singh 6 0 18 0 3.00 Radha Yadav 2 0 7 0 3.50
India Women Innings: 248/7 (50 overs)
India’s innings was gritty on a slow track, with Deol’s 46 anchoring and Ghosh’s late 35* boosting the total.
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pratika Rawal | c Sadaf Shamas b Diana Baig | 31 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 63.27 |
| Smriti Mandhana | lbw b Sadia Iqbal | 23 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 63.89 |
| Harleen Deol | c Sidra Nawaz b Fatima Sana | 46 | 65 | 4 | 0 | 70.77 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | lbw b Nashra Sandhu | 32 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 86.49 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur (c) | c Muneeba Ali b Diana Baig | 19 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 76.00 |
| Richa Ghosh (wk) | not out | 35* | 20 | 3 | 1 | 175.00 |
| Deepti Sharma | c Sidra Nawaz b Diana Baig | 25 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 75.76 |
| Sneh Rana | c Aliya Riaz b Fatima Sana | 20 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 60.61 |
| Kranti Gaud | b Sadia Iqbal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shree Charani | b Sadia Iqbal | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Renuka Singh | not out | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 14) | 15 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 247 all out (50 overs) | 20 | 1 | 4.94 RPO |
- Fall of Wickets: 1-48 (Rawal, 10.5 ov), 2-85 (Mandhana, 19.1 ov), 3-133 (Deol, 30.3 ov), 4-145 (Rodrigues, 33.4 ov), 5-165 (Kaur, 37.5 ov), 6-209 (Sharma, 44.2 ov), 7-232 (Rana, 47.5 ov), 8-232 (Gaud, 47.6 ov), 9-234 (Charani, 48.3 ov), 10-247 (Renuka Singh, 49.6 ov).
- Key Highlights: Powerplay: 43/1. Deol-Rodrigues 48-run stand; Ghosh’s 35* off 20 (175 SR) late surge.
- Pakistan Bowling:
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Diana Baig 10 0 45 3 4.50 Sadia Iqbal 10 0 40 3 4.00 Fatima Sana 9 0 52 2 5.78 Nashra Sandhu 10 0 50 1 5.00 Rameen Shamim 7 0 36 0 5.14 Syeda Aroob Shah 4 0 24 0 6.00
Key Performances
- Batting Highlights:
- India: Harleen Deol (46 off 65; 4×4) anchored the middle order; Richa Ghosh (35* off 20; 3×4, 1×6) accelerated with 175 SR; Jemimah Rodrigues (32 off 37; 3×4) steady.
- Pakistan: Sidra Amin (81 off 106; 9×4, 1×6) fought alone, reaching 50 off 82 balls and hitting Pakistan’s first six vs India (off Rana); Natalia Pervaiz (33 off 46; 4×4).
- Bowling Highlights:
- India: Kranti Gaud (3/20 off 10 overs, 3 maidens) career-best, including Sadaf Shamas, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz; Deepti Sharma (3/45) dismissed Fatima Sana, Rameen Shamim (golden duck), another; Shree Charani (2/38) and Sneh Rana (2) shared spoils.
- Pakistan: Diana Baig (3/45) took Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma; Sadia Iqbal (3/40) claimed Smriti Mandhana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani; Fatima Sana (2/52) got Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana.
Notable Events
- Disputed Run-Out: Muneeba Ali (2) run out in 3.6 over—initial LBW appeal (pitched outside leg) overturned, but third umpire ruled her out as her bat was in the air when hit by Deepti Sharma’s direct throw. India lost a review.
- Bug Swarm Halt: A 15-minute interruption due to insects from recent rains; pest control applied (time added to innings break).
- No Handshakes: Post-match, India and Pakistan players skipped handshakes, citing group-stage tensions.
- Sidra Amin’s Six: Her first six vs India (off Sneh Rana, long-on), part of her 81—Pakistan’s highest vs India in 12 matches.
