India vs Pakistan Live Score Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

India were dealt a heavy loss by the White Ferns, succumbing to a 58-run defeat as the batting couldn’t get going against the bowling at all. It was an under-performance with bat by the top order of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Shafali Verma in the top order, and India never came close to challenging for a stiff target of 161 after an ineffective bowling innings.

On the other end, Pakistan got off to a winning start by getting a victory over Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, and may have taken over as the dark horses for this group early in the proceedings. In a low-scoring encounter, an excellent 30(20) by new captain Fatima Sana saw them get just enough runs to make the chase difficult, with Sadia Iqbal taking three wickets to restrict the Lankans.

Pakistan will be aware that they can take apart India’s best-laid plans in this match, with that chastening opening loss meaning India cannot afford to drop their standards in the rest of their matches. With a daunting match-up against defending champions Australia set to round out their group stages, India will see this rivalry match as a must-win.

Pakistan, meanwhile, might have entered this group as the likeliest to finish bottom, but have shown that they are here to play. A statement win over their neighbours in a match where they are relatively unfavoured will give them plenty of confidence and momentum, and put the wind in their backs to go on and capitalise by reaching the knockouts.

The key in this match will be India’s form with the bat, which could be the key difference-maker in what has been a low-scoring tournament so far. There is plenty of quality within the top order as mentioned, and more than enough batting ability with Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma in the middle order. Failing twice in a row will be disastrous, and greater patience and application will be demanded, compared to an innings full of poor shot selection against the Kiwis.

With the ball, India kept it tidy but were unthreatening in large parts, unable to break partnerships once they got going. Deepti Sharma was expensive with ball, and as one of the senior figures in the team, will be looking to bounce back and having a positive influence.

On the Pakistan side of things, they will be taking notes from New Zealand’s tight line and lengths in the powerplay, which kept India quiet and forced a couple of cheap unforced errors leading to wickets. Pace-off changeups and variations of speed from the bowlers will also be a significant part of the role for their bowling ranks, with there being plenty of batters for India who will enjoy conditions if the ball is coming onto the bat well.

Similarly, Pakistan’s batters started a tad slow in the previous match, and not taking undue risks early in the innings might allow them to build partnerships and use those to punish India. A fairly young attack for the women in blue, with no out-and-out leader, means that their opponents can heap pressure on them by giving very little away.

It should be a tight but nevertheless thrilling encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with both teams entering this contest with it all to play for. India’s quality and better head-to-head record in India-Pakistan contests might make them the favourites, but their opponents will try to make it as gruelling a mental and tactical battle as possible. In doing so, they could put together a historic victory for their nation.