India women&rsquo;s team skipper <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/harmanpreet-kaur-this-is-no-crime-23247521" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Harmanpreet Kaur</a> on Friday blamed their shock loss to Pakistan on rejigged batting order, saying the decision to give batters enough game time before next year&rsquo;s T20 World Cup backfired.
India suffered only their third loss to arch-rivals Pakistan when Harmanpreet&rsquo;s side choked for 124 in their modest chase of 138 in the <a href="https://mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/womens-asia-cup-pakistan-wins-toss-opts-to-bat-first-against-india-23249216" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Women&rsquo;s Asia Cup</a> here.
<img title="India opener Smriti Mandhana during the Asia Cup tie against Pakistan yesterday. Pic/PTI " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2022/oct/kaur-eight-oct-b_e.jpg" alt="India opener Smriti Mandhana during the Asia Cup tie against Pakistan yesterday. Pic/PTI " width="1280" height="720" />India opener Smriti Mandhana during the Asia Cup tie against Pakistan yesterday. Pic/PTI&nbsp;
Also Read: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/india-look-to-continue-domination-v-pak-23249142">India look to continue domination v Pak</a>
&ldquo;It was a chaseable target. In the middle-overs, we were not able to take singles and rotate the strike. We played too many dot balls,&rdquo; Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.
Opener Shafali Verma continued to be rested, while Harmanpreet returned to lead the side only to bat way down at No 7 as India continued to experiment in the lead up to the T20 World Cup in South Africa next year.
&ldquo;In the middle, we were trying to give other batters a chance. You have to do that as the tournament goes on, but it backfired and cost us the game,&rdquo; she said.
Sabbhineni Meghana continued to open in absence of Shafali as she got out cheaply for 15. India also lost Smriti Mandhana (17) inside the Powerplay.
<h2>Inexperience, an issue</h2>
Jemimah Rodrigues (2) also fell cheaply as the inexperienced middle-order comprising Dayalan Hemalatha (20) and Pooja Vastrakar (5) failed to steady the ship.
&ldquo;For me, it is important that whoever is new to the side, they should get enough games before the World Cup. It was a great opportunity for others,&rdquo; Harmanpreet, who scored a run-a-ball 12, said.
India last took on their arch-rivals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July, where they won by eight wickets en route to winning a silver medal.
<h2>&lsquo;Not taking any team lightly&rsquo;</h2>
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t take any team lightly. It is part of the game. They played good cricket and deserved to win. We need to work on areas and be strong,&rdquo; Harmanpreet said.
India will next face hosts and defending champions Bangladesh here on Saturday. Pakistan, on the other hand, returned to winning ways after a shock reversal against Thailand on Thursday as they are now level with India (six) on points tally.
&ldquo;It was a very important game for us after yesterday [Thursday]. We executed the things very well. We just wanted to take calculated risks,&rdquo; Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof said.
Middle-order batter Nida Dar struck a 37-ball 56 not out to anchor their batting. She also chipped in with her off-spin to return with 2 for 23.
2016 The last time the Pakistan women&rsquo;s team beat India&mdash; during the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean&nbsp;
Also Read: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/womens-asia-cup-pakistan-wins-toss-opts-to-bat-first-against-india-23249216">Women's Asia Cup: Pakistan wins toss, opts to bat first against India</a>
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India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur blames rejigged middle-order for shock loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in T20 Asia Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur: Batting experiment cost us the game

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