Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Do Or Die For India In High-Stakes Battle Against In-Form Pakistan
India, entering the match as favourites, have to deal with the pressure of being at the bottom of their group table.
The highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 is set to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 6. Both teams will be looking to assert their dominance in this thrilling encounter.
India: Favourites Face Heat
India enters the match as favourites, but they will be battling pressure as they currently sit at the bottom of Group A. Their net run rate of -2.900 is a major concern for the Harmanpreet-Kaur-led Women in Blue. India put up a disappointing show in all aspects of the game in their opening match against New Zealand on Friday and will need to stage a strong comeback to overcome Pakistan.
Pakistan: Strong Start
Pakistan, led by Fatima Sana, made an impressive start to their campaign with a 31-run victory over Sri Lanka. Fatima, leading Pakistan in an ICC event for the first time, has displayed confidence and leadership, contributing to her team's success with an all-round performance.
Concerns For Both Teams
Despite India’s dominance in past encounters against Pakistan, they face immense pressure, especially given their current position in the standings. On the other hand, Pakistan will be dealing with pressure due to their unfavourable record against India in the T20 World Cup. Pakistan has won only two out of seven games against India in the tournament's history. Additionally, Pakistan’s batting lineup showed vulnerabilities in their match against Sri Lanka, with the middle-order collapsing before Fatima Sana led the recovery. Their batters will need to step up in this high-stakes match to ensure a competitive performance.
India Women squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana
Pakistan Women Squad: Muneeba Ali (wk), Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Tuba Hassan, Sadaf Shamas, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Iram Javed, Omaima Sohail, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab
