Anushka Sharma shines as India A destroy Pakistan A in Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026

India A crushed the archrivals Pakistan A by eight wickets in their second group A match of the ongoing ACC Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, February 15.

India A dominate Pakistan A in Bangkok

The stars of the match for India were Vrinda Dinesh, Anushka Sharma, Saima Thakor, and Radha Yadav. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. That decision backfired badly. India pacer Saima Thakor struck early and broke the top order. Pakistan slipped to 21/4 inside the powerplay.

And then the India A captain, Radha Yadav, took charge. She removed Huraina Sajjad and Shawaal Zulfiqar as Pakistan slipped to 41/6 in 10 overs. Prema Rawat also picked up two wickets and kept the pressure tight. However, Gull Rukh (21) and Anosha Nasir (17) have shown some fight.

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They added 25 runs for the eighth wicket, but it was too little. Pakistan got bowled out for just 93 in 18.5 overs, with Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani taking one wicket each. India needed only 94 runs to beat Pakistan A in Bangkok, but the chase began with drama.

Anushka Sharma and Vrinda Dinesh power India to an easy win

Humaira Kazi fell on the very first ball to Waheeda Akhtar. However, Anushka Sharma and Vrinda Dinesh rebuilt the innings while launching a stunning counterattack. However, Vrinda was more dangerous, hitting Pakistan bowlers all around the ground.

India raced to 63/1 in the powerplay, and the match had already slipped away from Pakistan A. Anushka made 24 from 26 balls before getting out in the ninth over. On the other hand, Vrinda reached her fifty in just 25 balls and finished with 55 off 29 deliveries.

Tejal Hasabnis (12* off 5 balls) came in and ended the game in style. She hit the only six of India’s chase and then a boundary to seal victory over Pakistan A in just 10.1 overs.

With this win, they jumped to second place in Group A with two points from two matches, having lost their ACC Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 opener to UAE, but now they are back strongly. India A will next face Nepal at the same venue on February 17.

Read Also: Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson dropped from Playing XI for India vs Pakistan match; Kuldeep Yadav IN

No handshake again

Earlier, India A and Pakistan A did not exchange pre-match handshakes. This is not new anymore, as it has been followed since last year after the Pahalgam terror attack. In recent times, whenever India and Pakistan meet across formats and age groups, the handshake has become a big talking point.

Interestingly, this happened on the same day when the senior men’s teams were getting ready for their massive clash in Colombo in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Before that big game, India captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided giving a clear answer about the handshake at the toss. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha also kept things neutral and said the situation would become clear on match day.