India began their Women's Asia Cup defense in impressive fashion with a 7-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dambulla on Friday, July 19. Deepti Sharma claimed 3 wickets, and Shreyanka Patil added 2 as Pakistan was dismissed for 108 runs. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana contributed a decisive 85-run partnership off 57 balls, setting the stage for the win. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat but quickly faced challenges as Pooja Vastrakar took two wickets in consecutive overs, dismissing both openers with just 26 runs on the board after 4 overs.

Sidra Ameen showed resilience with the bat, but Aliya Riaz and captain Nida Dar struggled, leaving Pakistan at 61 for 6 in 13 overs. Renuka Singh dismissed Ameen and Javed in successive deliveries, further compounding Pakistan's difficulties. Tuba Hassan and Fatima Sana added 31 runs, but Deepti Sharma's 18th over saw her claim 2 wickets and effect a run-out, reducing Pakistan to 94 for 9.

Sana managed to push Pakistan past the 100-run mark, but Shreyanka Patil ended the innings on the second ball of the final over, leaving Pakistan all out for 108. In reply, India displayed dominance with Shafali and Smriti leading the chase. They started cautiously but accelerated quickly, accumulating 57 runs in the powerplay. Smriti Mandhana hit 5 boundaries in Tuba Hassan's second over, scoring 21 runs.

Smriti was dismissed for 45 runs off 31 balls, falling just short of a half-century. Despite a brief struggle from Hemalatha, who hit 3 boundaries, and the dismissals of Shafali and Hemalatha, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues ensured the victory with 35 balls to spare.

India, favored to retain their title after a strong performance in the South Africa series, has impressed with both batting and bowling. Vastrakar's growing consistency as a frontline bowler, Radha Yadav’s control, and Deepti Sharma’s reliability have bolstered their campaign. India's next match is against the UAE on Sunday, July 21.