For the better part of an hour on Saturday, something conspiratorial hung over the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. As if the universe had colluded — à la Shah Rukh Khan — to offer the Women’s Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan a pseudo semblance of parity. Never mind that Pakistan had beaten India only three times in 17 T20Is before today, and not once in an ODI. Of all fixtures, this particular fixture — the one that sells tickets, captivates crowds, breaks the internet — cannot be a mundane drab. So wished the marketing department, perhaps, in the quiet moments before Pakistan were bowled out for 55, which India chased down in 8.4 overs, securing a seven-wicket triumph in the process.

In those initial exchanges, Pakistan had a lot going their way. They won the toss and pushed India into unfamiliar terrain by asking them to do something they had not done in the first two matches — bowl first. They did not lose a wicket in the first four overs — a rare occurrence in itself. Catches were dropped — dollies, at that. Muneeba Ali, the solitary Pakistani batter with over 500 runs in T20Is since 2025, was offered two reprieves. A run out opportunity was politely declined.

When all of it was said and done, Pakistan’s score read 27/0 after 4.2 overs. The run rate of 6.24 promised nothing so grand as a thriller, but offered, at least, the shape of a contest. It turned out to be a mirage. Over the next 29 balls, Pakistan lost six wickets and scraped together eight runs. The battle, if one could call it that, had already ended; only the formalities remained.

That escalated quickly 😅🤯🫨😬🫣

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 5, 2026

Shafali strikes

The Pakistani meltdown had an unlikely arsonist in Shafali Verma. Harmanpreet Kaur, featuring in her 150th T20I as a captain — no cricketer has ever done that, regardless of the gender — asked her opener to bowl inside the powerplay. It looked, in that instant, like a gamble. Verma had bowled in the powerplay only five times across 113 caps and had no wickets to show for it.

This time, she did.

In her third delivery, she bowled Ali. An off-spinner castling a southpaw was the first victory for match-up enthusiasts. The second was when left-arm spinner Sree Charani, who was held back when Ali was at the crease, dismissed two right-handers in the next over — Gull Feroza and Shawaal Zulfiqar.

And then there was almost nothing left. The remaining batters added barely 24 between them, and a couple more came from extras, before the innings gave up entirely. India’s spin trio of Charani, Prema Rawat and Deepti Sharma were effective yet again, taking eight wickets for 21 runs.

Besides Harmanpreet, a couple of more records were made on the night, both by Pakistan. The first was incidental — it was their 200th T20I. Although, for those who have not watched any of the previous 199, their batting gave the impression of this being the first. The second was earned, in the worst sense of the word — it was their lowest-ever T20I total.

India players celebrate the fall of a Pakistan wicket in the Asia Cup match on Saturday. (credit: ACC)

The stands had more life than the innings did. Albeit in a diluted form, pockets of noise still tried to conjure the old fever of an India-Pakistan night. Among the crowd sat cricketers from Hong Kong and Thailand. They might not have imagined that Pakistan’s display would make their scores against India — 56 and 65 respectively — look respectable.

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India’s batting, though, paled in comparison to their bowling, and not for the first time in this competition either. Captain Fatima Sana fought alone from the green corner, and fought valiantly, dismissing every member of India’s top three inside the first four overs.

On the macrocosmic fate of the game, her spell was never going to leave a telling impression. What it did, though, was delay the obvious — India eventually took 52 deliveries to chase the total down — whilst also raising a few questions about India’s batting. In her third opportunity, India’s makeshift number three, Pratika Rawal, scored only four runs.

Sana aside, no other Pakistani bowler caused the Indian team any trouble. Harmanpreet remained unbeaten on a run-a-ball 18, while Deepti contributed 12 runs.

With this victory, India will finish atop Group A, and will face the runners-up of Group B in the semi-final on September 10. Pakistan, meanwhile, will now face Hong Kong, who could pose more of a challenge than what they offered the 50-over world champions in this match.

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Brief Scores: Pakistan 55 all out (Shawaal Zulfiqar 14; Sree Charani 4-0-7-3) lost to India 57/3 in 8.4 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 18 not out; Fatima Sana 3-0-17-3) by seven wickets.