Women’s Asia Cup T20: India bowl out Malaysia for 27, win by 142 runs

Mithali Raj slammed an unbeaten 97 while Pooja Vastrakar bagged three wickets as India women opened their account with a comprehensive victory.

A clinical performance by the Indian eves helped them kick off their campaign in the seventh women’s Asia Cup by registering a comprehensive 142-run win against Malaysia at the Kinrara Academy Oval on Sunday. Mithali Raj slammed an unbeaten 97 which spurred India to a competitive total of 169/3 after which Pooja Vastrakar, Anuja Patil, and Poonam Yadav dismantled the Malaysian batting order to bowl out Malaysia for just 27 as India opened their account on the front-foot.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first. However, Malaysia struck early as opener Smriti Mandhana departed early for just 8. Promoted up the order Pooja Vastrakar slammed three boundaries before she was removed by Malaysia’s Noor Hayati Zakaria leaving India at 35/2. Seasoned campaigners, Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur then came together and forged an 86-run stand to guide India towards a match-winning total. Raj was particularly impressive in a dazzling knock of 97 which featured 13 fours and one six.

In reply, Malaysia never really seemed up for the challenge as they lost half their side within the powerplay. Unable to recover from the early blows, the home team kept losing wickets at regular intervals before being bundled out for 27. A lot was expected of 25-year-old skipper Winifred Anne Duraisingam but she failed to live up to the expectations.

India faces Thailand in their next encounter on Monday after which they square-off against Bangladesh on Wednesday.