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Amid tension, India look to maintain grip over Pakistan
India and Pakistan's Women's World Cup clash in Colombo is overshadowed by off-field tensions, but both teams focus on cricket amid historical rivalries.
New Delhi: Every time India and Pakistan face each other, the contest is rarely confined to the cricket field. The latest chapter in their intense rivalry, in the Women’s World Cup in neutral Colombo on Sunday, comes after a week where off-field controversies have taken centre stage.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart at the toss during last month’s T20 Asia Cup, a tournament that ended with a bigger row over the winners’ trophy that is yet to be sorted. It has only increased the scrutiny ahead of the women’s Cup tie.
Already, former Pakistan captain Sana Mir’s on-air reference to Kashmir and India’s decision to maintain the no-hand shake rule has raised tension in the build-up to the clash.
Amid the noise, both teams insist that the focus remains firmly on cricket. For India, that focus comes from a position of sheer dominance. They have never lost to Pakistan in ODIs –
a 11-0 record spanning nearly two decades. They also opened their World Cup campaign with a reassuring victory over Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, on the other hand, suffered a deflating seven-wicket loss to Bangladesh and now face the challenge of reviving their campaign against the tournament’s hosts.
On the eve of the match, India’s bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi maintained a composed tone, making it clear that the team’s approach will be measured and process-driven.
“When you enter a big tournament like a World Cup, the area of focus is only cricket,” he said. “We want our girls to get their A game onto the day, and we want them to take it just as a game, because it’s a long campaign. There will be a lot of games coming our way.”
While pacer Renuka Singh sat out the opener, seam all-rounder Amanjot Kaur seemed to have missed practice. Kaur played a starring role with the bat against Sri Lanka and her absence may thus be down to workload management in a tournament where all eight teams play each before the knockouts. India also have a varied spin attack and it will be interesting to see if India stick with the same spin combination of Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Sree Charani.
“Coming into the tournament, we have around 10 bowling options. It’s a long campaign and we may need the services of any of them. Depending on the conditions, we will take a call on which spinners to play,” Salvi said.
Spin all-rounder Sneh Rana could be a player to watch out for. Not only did she deliver with the bat and ball in the tournament opener to underline her form, she was Player-of-the-Series in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo in May.
Salvi stressed her importance to the team. “She is well-versed with this environment and brings that confidence into the squad. She’s a quality bowler. I believe that particular series and the output she got (15 wickets) will play a big part mentally as well for her.”
Weight of history
For Pakistan captain Fatima Sana though belief that her relatively inexperienced side can defy history is important.
“Whatever records exist between India and Pakistan are meant to be broken. It’s not that Pakistan will never win against them,” she said on the eve of the match. “We believe in playing good cricket no matter who the opponent is. So, we won’t think about history. We’ll focus only on the day we play.”
She addressed the camaraderie that shone through despite the rivalry when Indian players interacted with Bismah Maroof and her baby daughter during the 2022 World Cup, but politely brought the focus back to the game at hand.
“As players, we all like such moments but the main thing is to stay focused on what we have come here for,” Sana said. “Our main goal is to play, and our focus is only on the game. We try to keep healthy relationships with every team. Whatever comes in the spirit of the game, we try to maintain that.”
Although both the team’s star batters, Smriti Mandhana and Sidra Amin, did not have the best of opening games, the teams would be hoping for their in-form batters to turn up for this high-octane fixture. Pakistan spinner Nashra Sandhu has taken six wickets against India, in two World Cup games. Her 4/26 in the 2017 World Cup loss is one of her memorable spells in the tournament.
Sunday’s clash comes amid political tensions spilling over into the commentary box and social media. Competitive cricket can ensure the game takes centre stage, but against a commanding Indian team, it’s up to Pakistan to deliver.
Fans will hope weather doesn’t play spoilspot. After Saturday’s Sri Lanka-Australia tie in Colombo was washed out, some rain is forecast for Sunday as well.
