6.55pm That is it, I fear. The inevitable decision. The match has been called off. Pakistan win by 2 runs (D/L). The Pakistan players indulge in raucous celebrations. What a result that is from Pakistan. India fought and fought till the end and had the match lasted 20 overs, who knows? But such is life. Rain interrupted just when India was on top. Pakistan can take a lot away from this game, their batting at the start was packed with positive intent but crumbled under the pressure as the innings proceeded. India were exceptional in the field, led by Jhulan Goswami, after some loose bowling in the Powerplay, and that may have proved to be the difference in the end.
Sana Mir: We have played them quite often. We know the kind of player MIthali is and her team is. The plan was to put them under pressure right from the word go. We have won games by one run, and lost games by a couple of runs so as a unit, we take a lot of pride in our fielding and bowling and this is the way forward. It's really good for us to get these pressure games early in the tournament. Very important win for us."
Mithali Raj: "The Pakistan bowlers were very disciplined and were backed by good fielding. The pressure was on us. I really hope we get a game in Dharamsala, the next two games are very crucial for us."
Anam Amin is the Player of the Match: "The only plan I had was bowl as many dot balls as possible."
6.50pm We have reached cut-off time but still no update.
david: "The more I study this scorecard, the more surprising it gets. Neither Raj nor Kaur really fire for India - and Mandhana now totals one run in two innings. - As for Pakistan, they're up there, but Maroof scored only 5of their runs. - Times are changing."
6.42pm Heavy rain has subsided to a drizzle. However, the cut-off time is 6.50pm, which is under 10 minutes away. The drama fails to cease. Tough to see this game resuming.
Vinay: "Is 6.50 cut off for rain to end or a 17 over game to start? Why not call off the match now and end the agony if the covers are still in tact? Wouldn't the ground staff need at least 15 minutes to prepare the ground?" -- Questions I don't have answers to, unfortunately.
Aman Pandey: "Kotla and Kolkata, 1500 kms apart, both of them messing with India's chances in the World Cup at the same time."
Saurabh: "The teams should be asked whether they want a game or not.. Let the teams decide if it is possible to have the game.."
6.35pm Still no signs of a resumption. India's hopes are withering away as time passes.
Shan: "DLS system is same for Men's & Women's Cricket. Don't you think this is unfair, as the par scores for Men's & Women's vary a lot?" - Venturing into dangerous territory.
Abbasi: "D/L is killing the beauty of this game. We want to see the result with only one method that is India to Bowl and Pakistan to Bat"
Maulik : "Why 6.55? We have long day ahead and flood lights can be turned on too. Let the broadcaster show ind vs pak men, but why stop this match? " -- Rules.
Vinay: "Just when I thought India is back in the game, rain interrupts. This unseasonal rains spoiled the qualifiers too."
Ronak: "What's happening to the weather in India? Unseasonal rain everywhere. Even the men's game in Kolkata is under the threat of rain."
6.30pm Still raining at the Kotla. We had 30 minutes spare time, and so a total of 46 minutes to get the match restarted. I'm not totally sure but the players need to get back on the field by 6.55 pm to have a 17-over match. Looking increasingly unlikely.
Gunjan Maskara: "If this match resumes, it will be one of the most sensational matches ever! Losing this to D/L will be unfair to cricket as a whole. "
6.15pm And they are off. The rain has got too heavy. Pakistan are ahead of the D/L at the moment. The rain is getting heavier and heavier. What drama this is. Pakistan are ahead by two runs. The D/L par now is 75. More and more covers being brought on. What a shame to a sensational contest.
Catch Mahela Jayawardene and Rahul Dravid in a light-hearted chat live on our Facebook page now!
sonal: "I live 5 km from the stadium and it is not raining here. I think rain is gonna cease soon. "
Karthik Sukumar: "Got to feel for the Indian Women here. they were on a roll. Hopefully this rain will subside and we can have a match!!!"
END OF OVER:16 | 3 Runs 2 Wkts | PAK-W: 77/6 (20 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 4.81, RRR: 5.00)
- Muneeba Ali12 (16b)
- Nida Dar0 (0b)
- Poonam Yadav3-0-14-0
- Jhulan Goswami4-0-14-1
All happening. Starting to drizzle here
Sana Mir run out 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Time for someone to grab their chance.
Asmavia Iqbal run out 5 (6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 83.33
Does not get better, 23 off five overs. Chances of rain any moment. Lots of nerves
Anshu K: "@Bilal: And Mitali took a catch herself. I've always wondered whether the twilight conditions make batting extremely difficult. Always felt that as the eyes need some adjustment. Here it is some dust and rain as well."
END OF OVER:15 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | PAK-W: 74/4 (23 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 4.93, RRR: 4.60)
- Asmavia Iqbal3 (4b)
- Muneeba Ali12 (13b)
- Jhulan Goswami4-0-14-1
- Anuja Patil3-0-14-0
Rizwan Zafar : "Once the run rate goes to 6, it would be hard for the girls to win it as it happened against WI. "
Asmavia comes in. Pressure
Iram Javed c Raj b Goswami 10 (14b 2x4 0x6) SR: 71.42
END OF OVER:14 | 3 Runs | PAK-W: 70/3 (27 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 5.00, RRR: 4.50)
- Muneeba Ali11 (12b)
- Iram Javed10 (13b)
- Anuja Patil3-0-14-0
- Jhulan Goswami3-0-10-0
END OF OVER:13 | 1 Run | PAK-W: 67/3 (30 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 5.15, RRR: 4.28)
- Iram Javed9 (10b)
- Muneeba Ali9 (9b)
- Jhulan Goswami3-0-10-0
- Harmanpreet Kaur2-0-9-1
Bilal: "It will be not a good thing if we don't appreciate Mithali's fielding here. Her fielding forced Bismah to select that wrong shot !"
SreekanthB: "Slight drizzle and thunder in south Delhi! Might reach the stadium soon!!"
Threatening clouds linger overhead
Zeeshan A: "Pakistani Men team must have been watching this game. Women's game plan, its execution and composure and technique to tackle the pressure is tremendously worth following."