India happy to be ruthless vs Pakistan: Harmanpreet Kaur on women's Asia Cup win

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was delighted with the manner in which her side dismantled Pakistan, producing a ruthless seven wicket victory in their Women’s Asia Cup T20 group match on Saturday. India’s bowlers set up the commanding win after Shree Charani, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma combined to bundle Pakistan out for just 55.

IND VS PAK, WOMENS ASIA CUP: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

It was Pakistan’s lowest ever score in women’s T20 internationals. The chase proved to be little more than a formality, with India reaching the target in only 8.4 overs. For Harmanpreet, the most encouraging aspect was India’s intensity despite already having secured a place in the semi-finals before taking on their arch rivals.

“It was a very important game for us. We talk about being ruthless, so very happy. All the bowlers have been outstanding, stuck to the plans, read the pitch well and executed well,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“It is very important to keep the standards high. I know what this team brings to the table. As far as losing three wickets is concerned, it can happen. Pakistan have a good bowling attack.”

The match also marked a major personal milestone for Harmanpreet. She became the first cricketer, male or female, to captain a national side in 150 T20 internationals. The India captain has been a constant presence in the format, featuring in 205 of the 228 T20 internationals played by the Indian women’s team since the format’s inception.

The Indian captain said she was grateful for achieving the landmark and asked the fans to keep supporting her and the side.

“I am grateful. I never thought that I will come this far. Keep supporting (appeal to fans). Hope I keep continuing the good work,” said Harmanpreet.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, meanwhile, defended her decision to bat first after winning the toss. Given the strength of Pakistan’s bowling attack, she felt setting a target was a reasonable option despite the eventual outcome.

“We had a collapse. It was a fresh wicket and we wanted to put maximum total as we had a good bowling side,” Sana said.

India will now rest until the semi-finals of the tournament, which will begin on September 10.

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