India carry patchy form into their Women’s T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan

India start their Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday with the fixture that always draws the biggest crowd, a meeting with Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The 7:30pm IST start hands fans at home a prime-time window, and the result will set the tone for a group that offers India little room to drift.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s side reach England as reigning 50-over world champions, but their short-format build-up has been bumpy. India lost T20I series to South Africa and England in the lead-up, then split their two warm-up games, beating West Indies before England edged them by five runs in the final hit-out at Cardiff. Richa Ghosh’s 68 in that defeat showed the firepower in the order, yet the batting has looked more fragile than a side with this much talent should.

A group with no easy nights

The draw has not been kind. India share Group 1 with holders New Zealand, beaten finalists South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands, and only the top two go through to the semi-finals. Each team plays five group games, so an early slip against Pakistan would leave India chasing the tournament rather than settling into it. Opening against a rival they usually beat is, on paper, the gentlest possible start. World Cup openers rarely feel that way once the toss is done.

Pakistan lean on Fatima Sana

Pakistan, led by all-rounder Fatima Sana, arrive with questions of their own after winning just one of their last five T20Is. Sana has been their bright spot, and her side will look to her with both bat and ball near the top of the game. Pakistan have also handed places to several uncapped players for this campaign, so a fast start against India would do wonders for a young group still finding its feet on the biggest stage.

History favours India

The head-to-head sits heavily in India’s favour, with 13 wins from their 16 T20I meetings, and they have rarely come unstuck against Pakistan at a World Cup. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma at the top, Harmanpreet through the middle and the spin of Deepti Sharma give India more ways to win than most teams can manage. The caveat is form. India have not been ruthless lately, and Pakistan need only one inspired evening to turn an opener into an upset.

For India, the path is the obvious one: post a total and trust the bowlers to defend it. Do that, and the World Cup starts with two points and a settled dressing room. Get it wrong, and the noise around a side that arrived as one of the favourites will only grow louder.

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