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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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
