India produced a clinical all-round display to beat Pakistan by 64 runs in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 opener in Birmingham on Sunday, with Smriti Mandhana's 68 and Deepti Sharma's five-wicket haul setting the tone for the campaign.

Mandhana's blistering knock at the top of the order gave India the platform, while Harmanpreet Kaur chipped in with 36 to take India to a competitive total. But it was Deepti Sharma who stole the show with the ball, returning figures of 5 wickets for just 10 runs in her four overs to be named Player of the Match.

Pre-match tension visible at the toss

The match began on a tense note even before the first ball was bowled. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana avoided shaking hands at the toss, continuing a trend that has now been seen in 11 consecutive cricket matches between the two nations across formats and age groups.

The no-handshake stance between India and Pakistan has been in place since last year, following the military tension between the two countries during Operation Sindoor. Harmanpreet, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, walked over to match referee Mel Jones for a brief chat and walked away without any interaction with her Pakistani counterpart.

Fielding moments grab attention

The contest also threw up some sharp fielding efforts from both sides. In the fourth over of India's innings, Pakistan's Natalia Pervaiz took a juggling catch to dismiss Jemimah Rodrigues off a top-edged slog, and celebrated by hurling the ball to the ground in visible frustration.

India hit back on the field during Pakistan's chase. In the 11th over, Deepti Sharma fired in a bullet throw from the field to catch Muneeba Ali short of her crease, as Pakistan's batters attempted a quick single. Later, in the 15th over, Shreyanka Patil produced a brilliant diving catch at backward point to send back Rameen Shamim, who had gone for a big shot over the covers.

Deepti scripts record-breaking outing

Beyond the result, Deepti Sharma's performance carried significant historical weight. With her five-wicket haul against Pakistan, she became the highest wicket-taker in Women's T20 International history, going past Thailand's Thipatcha Putthawong's tally of 165 wickets. Deepti now has 166 wickets to her name in the format.

The off-spinner is also closing in on another milestone. Jhulan Goswami currently holds the record for most wickets across Women's International Cricket with 355 scalps. Deepti's latest haul has taken her tally to 351 wickets, putting her within touching distance of the legendary pacer's record.

Harmanpreet rewrites World Cup run tally

Harmanpreet Kaur also added to India's list of milestones during the innings. Her 36-run knock against Pakistan helped her overtake former India captain Mithali Raj's tally of 726 runs to become the highest run-scorer for India in the history of the Women's T20 World Cup. Harmanpreet now has 762 runs in the tournament.

India extend dominance over Pakistan

The win also extended India's dominant head-to-head record against Pakistan in the Women's T20 World Cup. This was India's seventh victory over Pakistan in the tournament's history, making it jointly the second-highest number of wins by any team against a single opponent in the competition. Australia tops that list, having beaten South Africa eight times in the Women's T20 World Cup.

With this win, India have made a statement start to their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, and attention will now turn to their next fixture as they look to build momentum in the group stage.