No Grip, No Handshake: Blue Blitz in Buggy Battle
Colombo: At the R. Premadasa Stadium, under a humid Colombo sky heavy with clouds and the weight of a storied rivalry, India’s women carved out an 88-run victory over Pakistan in their International Cricket Council(ICC) Women’s Cricket World Cup group-stage clash, a match that pulsed with tension from a botched toss to a mosquito siege.
India, batting first after a controversial coin flip, posted 247 for nine in 50 overs, anchored by Harleen Deol’s measured 46, Jemimah Rodrigues’s gritty 32, and Richa Ghosh’s fiery 35 not out. Pakistan, undone by early blows and a relentless Indian attack led by Kranti Gaud’s 3 for 20, crumbled to 159 in 43 overs. This triumph marks India’s 12th consecutive One Day International (ODI) win over Pakistan, extending their perfect five-from-five World Cup record against their arch-rivals, from Purnima Rau’s five-wicket haul in Christchurch 1997, a three-wicket thriller in New Zealand 2000, a nine-wicket rout in Colombo 2005, a 28-run defence in Sydney 2009, to a seven-wicket cruise in Derby 2017.
The drama erupted before the first ball, carrying the sting of last month’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where men’s clashes had been mired in political and protocol disputes. Captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Fatima Sana strode to the toss, their faces set, hands staying firmly by their sides – no handshake, a deliberate echo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia’s directive amid frosty bilateral ties. The Pakistan Cricket Board, stung by similar snubs in the UAE, lodged no formal ICC complaint so far this time, but the absence spoke louder than words. Then came the toss itself: Sana called tails, the coin flashed heads, yet match referee Shandre Fritz misheard, wrongly awarding Pakistan the choice to field. Social media ignited with cries of “toss fixing,” the blunder casting a shadow over the game’s first breath, as fans from both sides traded barbs over a coin that seemed to carry the border’s baggage.
India’s innings, on a sluggish pitch offering seam, began with Smriti Mandhana’s 23 and Pratika Rawal’s 31, but Pakistan’s Diana Baig (4 for 69) and Fatima Sana (2 for 38) struck early. Then, in the 20th over, chaos descended – not from bowlers, but bugs. A swarm of mosquitoes clouded the outfield, buzzing like static in the humid dusk, forcing players to scatter and ground staff to sprint in with fumigation sprays. Sana, seizing a canister, misted the air herself, a fleeting moment of defiance amid a 15-minute delay that left both teams recalibrating. India steadied through Deol’s calm cover drives and Rodrigues’s deft placements, but the match’s hinge swung in the 27th over. Rodrigues, on 2, edged Baig’s cutter to keeper Sidra Nawaz, Pakistan erupting in celebration – only for the square-leg umpire’s arm to cut across, signalling no-ball for a front-foot overstep. The third umpire’s replay confirmed it, and Rodrigues, reprieved, cracked a free-hit four through mid-wicket, her 32 proving pivotal before Nashra Sandhu pinned her lbw. Ghosh’s late 35, studded with boundaries that pierced the field like darts, lifted India to a daunting 247.
Pakistan’s chase began with a jolt. Opener Muneeba Ali, on 2, survived an lbw shout off Kranti Gaud, only for Deepti Sharma’s direct hit to catch her bat fractionally airborne mid-return to the crease – a legal run-out, upheld by third umpire Kerrin Klaaste after Sana’s furious protest to the fourth official, her gestures sharp as the Colombo evening. At 12 for two, Sidra Amin stood tall, her 81 off 106 balls – nine fours, one six soaring over mid-on – a lone beacon of resistance. But Sneh Rana’s spin snared her, caught by Kaur at slip, and the dam broke. Gaud, Player of the Match, weaved magic with 3 for 20, her seamers dismantling Sadaf Shamas, Aliya Riaz, and Natalia Pervaiz; Deepti Sharma’s 3 for 45, including Sana’s gloved catch to Mandhana and a tail-end collapse, saw Pakistan’s last six wickets fall for 47 runs, their hopes snuffed out in the floodlit haze.
The teams parted without handshakes, a final nod to the off-field frost that mirrored the tensions of the Asia Cup. Yet, on the field, India’s mastery remained unchallenged, their World Cup ledger against Pakistan an unbroken tale of triumph. Harmanpreet Kaur, voice steady in the post-match calm, said, “Very happy, a very important game for all of us, and I’m sure everyone back home is also very happy.” Fatima Sana, dissecting the defeat, noted, “In the powerplay we gave a lot of runs away and in the death overs too.”
India’s second win in two games – following their 59-run rout of Sri Lanka – hoists them atop the points table with four points, their semi-final path gleaming as they brace for Australia on October 12 in Colombo, a clash to test their mettle. Pakistan, pointless after losses to Bangladesh and now India, face a sink-or-swim duel with the West Indies on October 9, where only a win can keep their campaign afloat. In this cauldron of coin fumbles, insect invasions, and unrelenting Indian dominance, the Indo-Pak saga delivered yet another chapter where blue reigns supreme, controversies merely the backdrop to a rivalry that never fails to grip.
– global bihari bureau
