Clinical India romp to seven-wicket win over Pakistan in Women's Asia Cup
Dambulla (Sri Lanka), Jul 19: Contenders India started their Women's T20 Asia Cup title defence on a rousing note, demolishing arch-foes Pakistan by seven wickets here on Friday.
India bundled out Pakistan for a below-par 108 after being asked to bowl and then chased down the target with as many as 35 balls remaining.
Chasing 109, Indian openers Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) were at their best as they toyed with the Pakistani attack from the word go.
It was an aggressive display of batting from both the Indian openers as they mostly dealt in fours and sixes.
The duo of Mandhana and Shafali hit two fours and a six off Tuba Hassan to collect 15 runs in the sixth over.
The seventh over bowled by Hassan yielded 21 runs with Mandhana hitting the bowler for five boundaries.
Pakistan finally tasted success in the 10th over in the form of Mandhana who was caught by Aliya Riaz at mid-wicket off the bowling of Syeda Aroob Shah.
Shafali departed in the 12th over, but by then, she and Mandhana had already done the damage.
Dayalan Hemalatha (14) didn't last long, caught by Hassan off Nashra Sandhu.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then ensured a comfortable win for the title holders.
Earlier, India dished out a fine effort led by experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20).
India, after being asked to bowl first, tasted their first success in the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet at mid-on.
Vastrakar struck again, dismissing the other Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali with a short-pitched delivery, caught by Rodrigues at cover, reducing Pakistan to 26 for 2 after the fourth over.
The Indians didn't allow Pakistani batters to settle down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Riaz, caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.
The Pakistani batters struggled to score runs, let alone build partnerships as Indian bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals to derail their opponents.
The next to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar who holed out to Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti as the batter went for her customary heave over the straight boundary.
It was raining wickets for India as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice in the last two deliveries of her spell.
Renuka first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) and then trapped Iram Javed leg before in the next ball to reduce Pakistan to 61 for 6 in 13 overs.
Thereafter Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched together a valuable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan forward.
But their partnership came to an end in the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward point off Deepti.
The 18th over bowled by Deepti saw three dismissals -- Hassan, Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu.
While Hassan and Sandhu fell to Deepti, Shah was run out, denying the India spinner a hat-trick.
Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for two sixes in the 19th over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.
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Over 300 students from govt schools in Punjab qualify JEE Mains 2026: Education minister
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday said 305 students from government schools qualified in their first attempt of the joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains 2026.
This number reflects an increase of 63 per cent from last year's 187 successful candidates, he said describing the achievement as a defining moment for the state's school education system.
Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination.
He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.
"This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by the Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam," Bains said.
This feat represents a remarkable 63 per cent increase from last year's 187 qualifiers, he said.
"Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab 'Sikhya Kranti' initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress," the state education minister said.
He also shared that Bhavishya, a Class 12 non-medical student from the School of Eminence in Amritsar secured an impressive 98.182 percentile.
His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor.
"Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success," he said.
He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains.
With his father being a labourer and mother a homemaker, and an annual family income of Rs 1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study.
Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured a 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET.
Bains said no other state government has matched this scale of achievement in government schools.
He congratulated all 305 students and their parents, and thanked the teachers for making what he described as a historic day for Punjab's government school system.
