With Smriti Mandhana out of the team due to a finger injury, Yastika Bhatia partnered Shafali Verma at the top of the order.
Both batters looked comfortable scoring runs, especially Bhatia, who timed the ball sweetly on a couple of occasions sending the ball to the boundary ropes.
Shafali Verma was adjudged lbw off a Sadia Iqbal delivery in the fourth over, a decision that was reversed upon review.
Pakistani spinners seemed to have taken a leaf out of the page of the Indian bowling in the first innings, as they bowled within the line of the stumps giving no room to the batters to free their hands.
Advertisement
After having the lbw decision reversed in her favour, Shafali appeared to be shifting gears scoring a couple of boundaries.
Bhatia soon departed in the last over of the powerplay, trying to hit one over the in-field, but getting caught at covers by Fatima Sana off Iqbal. Shafali took the attack to the bowler helping India score 43 runs in the first six overs for the loss of one wicket.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been struggling with the bat of late, joined Shafli in the middle and hit a couple of fours early on in her innings.
With the field now spread out, both batters ensured that the scoreboard stayed ticking by rotating the strike.
Advertisement
The first ball of the 10th over saw Shafali step out of the crease, striking the ball cleanly only to be sensationally caught by Sidra Ameen at long-off.
Rodrigues surviving a stumping attempt acted as a boost, as she scored freely after being joined at the crease by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Kaur herself took the attack to the Pakistani bowlers striking a couple of boundaries inside facing 10 deliveries.
Pakistan, then, claimed the big wicket of the Indian captain, who departed for 16 runs off the bowling of Nashra Sandhu, her second wicket of the day. Nashra also did not concede a single boundary off her bowling, a factor that put pressure on the Indian batters. She registered figures of 4-0-15-2.
Richa Ghosh, India's finisher, joined Rodrigues and both batters turned up the heat on the Pakistani bowlers, scoring valuable boundaries.
Ghosh, too, survived an lbw decision off Iqbal when the ball hit her glove en route to the pad.
The 17th over by Nida Dar proved crucial for both teams with 13 runs coming off it, courtesy a boundary each from Ghosh and Rodrigues.
It affected the subsequent over from Aiman Anwer, as she ended up conceding three fours. With the good form she's been in, Ghosh was not going to miss out on loose deliveries and did exactly just that.
Advertisement
Rodrigues, too, joined in shuffling in the crease to find leg-side boundary on a couple of instances.
The pair brought its much-needed 50-run partnership off just 31 balls.
Rodrigues finished the match with one over left and Rodrigues bringing up a well-deserved half-century. This was the second successful run chase in women's T20Is.
