Rodrigues and Deepti fifties put India top of the table
UAE made a bright start to the game, but their threat fizzled out
Jemimah Rodrigues brought up her second half-century of the tournament • ACC
India's start was far from ideal after they rested regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur and opening batter Shafali Verma. Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana did not open the innings with Sabbhineni Meghana, who had scored her maiden T20I half-century against Malaysia. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was sent in to open but she fell for a first-ball duck, flicking an inswinging ball from seamer Chaya Mughal straight to backward square leg.
Rodrigues, who had made her career-best T20I score in India's tournament opener, hit three successive fours off Mughal's last over - the first after the fielding restrictions - to take 16 runs off it. The runs continued to flow as Rodrigues and Deepti found the gaps regularly.
With the platform set, Rodrigues smashed a hat-trick of fours off offspinner Suraksha Kotte, who had been brought on for the first time in the 18th over. Kotte, however, had Deepti caught at widish long-on by Gaur running to her left. A few lusty blows from Pooja Vastrakar, who came into the XI for Radha Yadav, and Kiran Navgire helped India score 43 in the last three overs.
UAE opener Theertha Satish was run out in the very first over of the chase. Esha Oza played a wristy cover drive to get off the mark against Rajeshwari Gayakwad before the left-arm spinner had her caught at mid-off in the second over. Gayakwad struck again with the fifth ball of the over to remove Natasha Cherriath for a duck.
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo