Birmingham, June 14 -- A majestic five-wicket haul from Deepti Sharma buoyed India to a commanding 64-run victory over the arch-rivals Pakistan in their Women's T20 World Cup opening fixture on Sunday in Birmingham.

Sharma finished with unreal figures of 5/10 as Pakistan crashed for 106 in 17 overs chasing 171.

India's spinners completely strangled Pakistan's chase, with the batters unable to find any answers to their relentless variations. The spin trio of India: Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Shree Charani -- dominated proceedings, combining to claim nine wickets in the nation's emphatic victory.

Chasing 171, Pakistan got off to a positive start through openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza, collecting eight runs from the opening ove...