Deepti passed Thailand’s captain to top the T20I wicket list, and India won the Asia Cup opener by 94 runs

India opened their Women’s Asia Cup campaign with a 94-run win over Thailand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night, and the piece of history inside it took Deepti Sharma seven deliveries.

Deepti was playing her 150th T20I, the third Indian to get there after Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. She finished it as the leading wicket-taker in the history of women’s T20 internationals, by one wicket, and the woman she overtook was on the field all night.

Seven balls, no runs, three wickets

Thipatcha Putthawong, Thailand’s captain, arrived in Dubai as the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20I cricket on 169. She had Harmanpreet caught by Phannita Maya in the 12th over of India’s innings to make it 170. Deepti started the night on 168.

Deepti bowled the ninth over of Thailand’s reply and took two wickets in it without conceding a run, trapping Naomi Hamilton in front and having Nannaphat Chaihan caught by Nandani Sharma. Harmanpreet brought her back for the 17th over with Thailand nine down. Her first ball found the edge of Nannapat Koncharoenkai’s bat and Richa Ghosh took the catch that ended the innings.

Match figures: 1.1 overs, one maiden, no runs, three wickets. Career figures: 171, one clear of Putthawong, with Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe on 164 and Sophie Ecclestone on 154 behind them.

Shafali’s 36 balls, and the 25 minutes that followed

Shafali Verma was the reason India had anything worth defending. She reached fifty off 26 balls and finished with 64 off 36, eight fours and three sixes, and India were 101 for 2 at the ten-over drinks break with Shafali on 59. Mandhana had already gone for a 10-ball 19, run out. Pratika Rawal, on debut, made 22 off 18.

Then it fell apart. Harmanpreet went for 5, Shafali holed out to a return catch off Suleeporn Laomi, and Richa Ghosh was caught first ball. Three wickets for four runs. Deepti was run out, Bharti Fulmali caught, Prema Rawat stumped, Nandani Sharma bowled. India were 137 for 9 with 16 balls left, having lost seven wickets for 51 runs from a position of total control.

Kranti Gaud made 15 off 8 at the end and Shree Charani hung around for 6, and the last pair added 22 to get India to 159 for 9. On a night when the bowlers took Thailand apart it looked like plenty. Against Pakistan on 5 September it would not.

Thailand 65 all out

Thailand had beaten Hong Kong by six runs in the tournament opener on Friday, so this was not a side arriving without form. They were 39 for 3 inside the powerplay and 44 for 6 after 8.3 overs, and only Koncharoenkai passed six. Her 41 off 48 was more than half her team’s total.

Nandani Sharma took 3 for 18, Shree Charani 2 for 10, Kranti Gaud 1 for 26. Prema Rawat bowled four overs for 11. The innings lasted 16.1 overs.

Hong Kong next, then the big one

India play Hong Kong China on 3 September and Pakistan on 5 September, both in Dubai, with the top two in Group A going through to the semi-finals. Two points are two points, and the net run rate cushion from a 94-run win is worth having in a four-team group.

The middle order is still the question Jemimah Rodrigues’ absence left open, and 108 for 2 becoming 137 for 9 is not the answer. Shafali and Deepti covered for it here. Pakistan’s bowlers will make it harder to hide.

Follow India’s Asia Cup campaign