India-W hopeful of turnaround as arch-rivals Pakistan present big challenge

After a sloppy start to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Team India will be hopeful of a strong comeback as they square off against their arch-rivals, Pakistan on Sunday. A lot of boxes will need to be ticked when the two Asian powerhouses collide at the Dubai International Stadium, especially after contrasting starts by both the sides.

India had an early hiccup with the ball that saw the White Ferns firing off to an absolute flyer. Despite reining things back in, the damage was already done through Sophine Devine’s blitzkrieg that compounded India’s misery.

The Indian batters failed to impress too as India were bowled out for just 102 in their chase of 161. However, in recent times, if there has been one particular thing that has been consistent with the Women in Blue is that they have always fought back. The big names who can spark the fireworks are very much present and they will be hopeful of turning things around in all the departments.

Pakistan, on the contrary, defeated Sri Lanka in their World Cup opener and will be eyeing to continue momentum against India. However, despite the contrasting start, in overall head-to-head, India dictates proceedings against the Women in Green with nine wins from the 12 games that they have played in the shortest format of the game. To add to that, India has secured seven wins in their last eight games against Pakistan, a feat that is more of a message than a piece of stat.

The latest clash that has been played by the two sides saw India emerge victorious in the Asia Cup semi-final with a Deepti Sharma masterclass. Chasing just 108, it was a cakewalk for the Indian batters as they completed the chase within just 14 overs. With such overwhelming numbers in their favour, the Women in Blue will be raring to hit the yard and roll the hardest to pocket their maiden win of the tournament.

Venue Watch:

The surface has shown similar traits in terms of supporting both the batters and the bowlers. The ball gripped onto the surface in the last fixture and would need careful application from the batters. There was a hint of shape in the last game and with that being said the team batting first will have a slight advantage. However, the team batting second may have their own sets of challenges as they will be playing with the lights coming on, a phase of the game which is slightly tougher to deal with in terms of the ball’s movement.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 12

India: 9

Pakistan: 3

Match Details:

Match – India vs Pakistan, Match 7, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai

Date: 6th October, 2024

Time: 3:30 PM

Squads:

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan.