India post 244/7 against Pakistan in WC opener

Mountmaunganui : Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar scored half-centuries to help India post 244 for seven in their ICC women’s World Cup opener against Pakistan here on Sunday.

Opting to bat, India were under pressure after opener Shafali Verma was dismissed for a duck.

A 92-run stand between Mandhana (52 off 75) and Deepti Sharma (40) helped steady the ship.

However, Pakistan came back by claiming a flurry of wickets, including the scalps of skipper Mithali Raj (9) and her deputy Haramanpreet Kaur (5).

Rana (53 not out) and Vastrakar (67) then shared a crucial 122-run partnership to take India to a respectable total.

For Pakistan, spinners Nida Dar (2/45) and Nashra Sandhu (2/36) snared two wickets each.

Brief Scores: India: 244 for 7 in 50 overs (Pooja Vastrakar 67, Sneh Rana 53 not out, Smriti Mandhana 52; Nashra Sandhu 2/36, Nida Dar 2/45).