Women’s World T20: India vs Pakistan clash set to bring the event alive

 A India vs Pakistan women’s clash may not often whip up a similar hype as their men counterparts, but it’s the perfect boost that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be hoping for in an otherwise busy sporting month. Even though the event got underway on Friday, the marquee clash on Sunday at Edgbaston in Birmingham – a venue known for it’s overwhelming presence of the diaspora from both countries – is expected to attract the attention of the cricket fans.  

 The pressure of expectations will be on the Women in Blue, who are going into the tournament as the ODI World Cup champions - but failed to make it to the semi-finals of the previous edition two years back in Dubai. The conditions will be more challenging for Harmanpreet Kaur & Co than the two previous World Cups in either formats – and the batters’ strike rate is something that coach Amol Muzumdar will need to keep an eye on.

 The 13-3 head-to-head in favour of India may give them an edge but then, the shortest format is a game of small margins.  They won their previous meeting, in 2024 T20 World Cup in Dubai, by six wickets.

While the nucleus of the T20 squad is built around the members who won them the 50-overs World Cup in Mumbai, India have been fairly consistent in the run-up to the event. They shocked Australia (2-1) and England (3-2) away from home and swamped Sri Lanka 5-0 at home but also received timely wake-up calls with a thumping series defeat to South Africa (4-1) and England (2-1) away.

 A lot rests on the kind of starts that the opening pair of vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma can provide in the powerplays. Mandhana, who had a phenomenal 2025 during which she completed the 10,000-run mark in international cricket, had not been at her consistent self as she had failed to convert some fine starts ever since a polished 82 against the Aussies.

 Shafali, who first shot to limelight during the World T20 Down Under as a teenager in 2020, has managed to cross 20 only once in previous five innings after a breezy 64 against South Africa at Johannesburg. Senior pro Harmanpreet, meanwhile, has returned to form with a couple of fifties against South Africa and England. There is enough experience in the middle order in the form of Jemimah Rodrigues but much will rest on the rate of acceleration that the likes of Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia or Bharti Fulmali can provide.

  It could well be an intriguing battle between Indian batters and Pakistan spinners – as the later has two capable hands in Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar to put the brakes. They will, meanwhile, depend a lot on the ever-smiling skipper Fatima Sana – who had been quite prolific with the bat.

 The 24-year-old had blasted the fastest fifty (off 15 balls) in women’s T20Is off just 15 balls against Zimbabwe recently in Karachi and she is certain to give some worries to the Indian bowling unit which does not have injured Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam.

Catch the match

 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

 India vs Pakistan

 Edgbaston, Birmingham

 Start : 7 pm