Aim was to rotate strike and accelerate after 45th over: Pooja Vastrakar, Sneha Rana

Pooja Vastrakar and Sneha Rana's aim was to rotate strike till the 45th over before going for the big shots in their Women's World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan here on Sunday. India thrashed Pakistan by 107 runs to begin their campaign with a win. Vastrakar (67) and Rana (53 not out) stitched a 122-run partnership to take India to a respectable 244 for 7.

India then dismissed Pakistan for 137 in 43 overs. "Actually, our top order collapsed so we decided to take on the charge and we decided to change and rotate the strike. The pitch was slow, so our plan was to focus on singles and doubles at the start," Rana said at the post-match press conference.

"We lost early wickets. We were the the last batting pair and afterwards, we had only bowlers. So, we planned to play basic cricket till 45th over and then accelerate in last five overs," Vastrakar added.

Vastrakar also said that her injury was not a serious one but she didn't want to risk aggravating it. "My leg is better, there were normal calf cramps. Didn't want to risk aggravating by bowling," she said.

The Indian spinners, who had been inconsistent in the series against New Zealand, bowled out Pakistan for 137. "New Zealand series was played after a long gap due to COVID-19, we had also been in quarantine which obviously affected the game of players," said Rana, who picked two wickets. "We were getting used to the conditions.

Slowly and gradually when we started playing, we adapted ourselves according to conditions. You can see the results of this hardwork in today's match." Asked if the duo might be promoted to the top order after today's stellar show, Rana said, "This decision depends upon team management. However, we aim to play at any position where our