Harmanpreet Reflects on India’s Gritty Win Over Pakistan

India vs Pakistan Women's World Cup match began with skipped handshakes and ended with a stunning victory of India. India Women may have sealed their second consecutive win of the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, but their 88-run victory over Pakistan in Colombo was anything but straightforward.

For Harmanpreet Kaur’s side, this was billed as an “important game for all of us.” The rivalry, the stakes, and the conditions, everything pointed to a contest that could easily have gone either way. Yet by the end of a humid, insect-plagued evening, India’s blend of resilience and spin precision saw them through, even as the fielding frailties that resurfaced mid-innings gave their captain much to think about.

A Start That Needed Saving

India’s batting innings mirrored their first match against Sri Lanka, which was steady at first, then stuttering, then saved by a late surge. The top order once again found itself tangled in pressure as Pakistan’s seamers, led by Fatima Sana and Diana Baig, kept the scoring rate on a leash.

At 203 for 7, India were wobbling. Even their most experienced batters looked unsure of how much was enough on a moist Colombo track.

Then came Richa Ghosh, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter with the ice-cold temperament. Her unbeaten 35 off just 20 balls injected the very energy India had been searching for all innings. Her final-over boundaries pushed India to 247, a total that looked competitive but not comfortable.

“To be honest, it wasn’t an easy pitch to bat,” Harmanpreet admitted later. “We just wanted to bat longer and see how many runs we can get. The rain had made the surface hold a bit. The key was to keep wickets for the end so we could execute.”

They executed, just in time.

Kranti Goud's Performance Gave The Spark India Needed

If there was one performance that lit up the game, it was Kranti Goud’s. The 22-year-old fast bowler, who only debuted earlier this year, produced her most complete spell in national colors. Her 3 for 20 in 10 overs was about control, rhythm, and quiet aggression.

She bowled like someone who had studied this rivalry. The early wickets of Sadaf Shamas and Aliya Riaz in ten overs broke Pakistan’s back before they could even begin to chase 248 with any structure.

For Goud, the venue held personal significance. This was where she had made her ODI debut in May during the tri-series, also the ground where she had once dismissed Richa Ghosh in a domestic one-day final. “Kranti bowled really well,” Harmanpreet said. “Renuka [Singh] was helping her from the other end to get breakthroughs for us.”

It was pace, discipline, and raw heart, a combination that’s been rare in India’s women’s pace attack since Jhulan Goswami retired. And on a moist Colombo afternoon, Kranti showed India might finally be turning a corner in that department.

Pakistan’s Promise and Undoing

Pakistan’s reply, though, never gathered steam. After showing glimpses of discipline with the ball, their batters faltered once again under scoreboard pressure.

Muneeba Ali’s early run-out for 2 off 12 balls set a nervous tone. Sadaf Shamas scratched her way to 6 off 24 before falling to Goud. Aliya Riaz’s 2 off 8 was another setback, leaving Pakistan gasping at 26 for 3 inside 12 overs.

From there, it was left to Sidra Ameen to fight. Her 81 off 106 balls was a masterclass in restraint, a rare display of patience in a collapsing lineup. She punished loose deliveries, rotated strike smartly, and briefly revived Pakistan’s chase alongside Natalia Pervaiz, who made 33.

Their 69-run stand for the fourth wicket brought a sense of calm to an otherwise erratic innings. But once Kranti Goud returned to trap Natalia, the innings unraveled quickly. The last seven wickets fell for 64 runs.

India’s Fielding Woes Return

For all of India’s dominance, this win won’t silence the murmurs about their fielding. Four dropped catches, including three off Sidra Ameen, were glaring reminders that this side remains vulnerable under pressure.

At one point, Indian fielders appeared visibly frustrated as chances kept slipping through their hands in the outfield. Harmanpreet herself didn’t shy away from admitting it post-match.

“We let ourselves down on the field. We got so many chances that we dropped,” she said. “But in the end, when you win, you feel happy.”

That happiness, though, was layered with concern. Against top-tier sides like Australia or England, such lapses could turn a comfortable 88-run win into a nail-biter.

Spinners Seal It, Again

Just as they did against Sri Lanka, India’s spinners came through when it mattered. Deepti Sharma (3 for 45) and Sneh Rana (2 for 38) cleaned up Pakistan’s lower order once the pacers had done the early damage.

What stood out was their variation. Deepti slowed down her pace smartly on the sluggish pitch, while Rana attacked the stumps. Pakistan’s middle order tried to break free with aerial shots, but the pressure built too quickly, and the dismissals followed.

“India’s spinners were relentless,” one Pakistani journalist observed from the press box. “They didn’t need magic balls; they just bowled dots, and the mistakes came.”

Harmanpreet’s Leadership 

For all the noise, from the pre-match tension to the bug delay, Harmanpreet’s leadership was a constant. She didn’t overreact when India’s innings wobbled, and she didn’t hide her frustration when fielding errors mounted.

Instead, she kept the tone measured. It’s a quality that comes with experience, the ability to stay emotionally stable when a game teeters.

She referred to this match as “an important one for all of us.” Not just because of the rivalry, but because it tested India’s mental consistency. They defended a total under lights in moist conditions against a side desperate for a breakthrough.

Her team did just that.

The Bug Delay and the Battle of Nerves

Midway through India’s innings, chaos arrived in the most unexpected way, when a swarm of insects descended on the field. For 15 surreal minutes, players tried to shield themselves with towels and sprays, while umpires halted play as ground staff fumigated the entire field.

It was bizarre, even comical at first glance, but it broke the rhythm of the game. “The pause drained Pakistan’s momentum,” said one commentator. “It was like restarting a match from scratch.”

When play resumed, India regrouped. Pakistan, however, seemed unsettled. Fatima Sana’s rhythm dipped, and the bowlers missed their lines. In hindsight, that interruption may have tilted the match slightly toward India.

A Rivalry Revisited

For those watching in Colombo, this wasn’t just another World Cup match, but a reminder of how emotionally charged India vs Pakistan matches remain in women’s cricket, even without the noise of packed crowds or national hype machines.

The lack of a pre-match handshake between captains didn’t go unnoticed either. It wasn’t hostility as much as intensity. Both knew what was at stake.

Watch the live streaming of all matches of Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 on tapmad. 
 

Looking Ahead

With two wins in two, India now travel to Visakhapatnam for back-to-back matches against South Africa (Oct 9) and Australia (Oct 12), matches which will test their true championship credentials.

“There are a lot of areas to work on,” Harmanpreet said. “ But right now, I’m happy that we won this game. We just want to go with that momentum. We go back to India now, where we know how the pitches will play.”

In the end, India won it. But consistency, particularly in the field and in top-order stability, will define whether this campaign becomes memorable or merely solid.