Clashes in Cape Town today, Team India will take revenge from Pakistan for Asia Cup

IND vs PAK: The Indian women's cricket team, which has been waiting for the ICC Trophy for a long time, will start its campaign in the T20 World Cup 2023 from Sunday. When the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team takes on Pakistan at Newlands in Cape Town, it will aim to end the wait this time. Wherever India and Pakistan compete on any platform, the excitement automatically increases. But due to the Indian team's upper hand in women's cricket, it may be less, but it will be interesting to see if the Indian team takes revenge for the Asia Cup.

Yes, Pakistan defeated India in the Asia Cup last year. Now Team India would like to complete the revenge of the Asia Cup in the World Cup. In the last five years, there has been a stark difference between the two teams. The Indian team is constantly challenging the dominance of Australia and England while the Pakistani women's team has not been able to do much. The match, which comes a day before the first Women's Premier League auction, will have extra motivation for the Indian players.

Why is Team India upset?

There are also doubts about the fitness of Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and opening batter and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who are nursing shoulder and finger injuries respectively. A decision on his playing will be taken only after the practice session on Saturday. A BCCI source has told on the fitness of these two that both are senior players and are very important for the team. If there is even the slightest doubt about his fitness, we will not take any chances as it is only the first match. At the same time, acting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar gave a direct answer on Mandhana's playing and said that it is very difficult for her to play.

Let us tell you that this World Cup is being played in South Africa and before the start of the tournament, India was defeated by the South African team in the final of the tri-series here. Apart from this, the team also got defeated by Australia in the practice match but the confidence of the team returned after defeating Bangladesh in the second match. The Indian team is looking strong to reach the semi-finals but it will have to be at its best to beat five-time champions Australia. This is the 8th Women's T20 World Cup and last time Australia won the fifth title by defeating India in the final.

How prepared is the Indian team?

Talking about Indian bowling, there is no confidence in the bowlers except Renuka Singh. Veteran Shikha Pandey hasn't taken a single wicket since her return last month. The performance of the spinners was also not as expected. At the same time, Harmanpreet and Mandhana need support from the other end in batting. Shafali Verma, who recently won the Under-19 World Cup, would like to answer her critics by performing consistently. A good innings is also expected from Jemimah Rodrigues. Bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar's role will be crucial while Richa Ghosh will have to perform well in the death overs.

On the other hand, if we talk about Pakistan, then there will be a lot of dependence on Nida Dar. Pakistan recently played a series in Australia. At the same time, in the practice match, the team defeated Bangladesh but had to face defeat from South Africa. Pakistan's record against India is also nothing special. Earlier in the T20 World Cup, both the teams have met 6 times, out of which Team India has won 4 times and Pakistan has won twice. At the same time, four out of the last five times in T20 International, Pakistan had to face defeat against India. But Team India will have to focus on the current performance and not on the numbers. Keeping the previous defeat in mind, the Indian team would like to start their winning campaign by not taking Pakistan lightly.

India and Pakistan squads

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarwani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Shikha Pandey.

Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (Captain), Aiman Anwar, Alia Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana, Javeria Wadud, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hasan.