India Women vs Pakistan Women Highlights, Women’s World Cup: IND secure comprehensive 107-run win over PAK

Mount Manganui saw a thriller on Friday. While there is a difference in quality on paper, will we see another close contest on the pitch today?

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh was among a list of former players who wished the Indian women's team ahead of their opener against Pakistan.

India will be breathing a heavy sigh of relief with their star batter Harmanpreet Kaur returning to run-scoring after enduring a long rough patch.

Kaur registered scores of 63 (against New Zealand, 5th ODI) and 102 (against South Africa in warm-up match for Women's WC).

Watch as Mithali Raj talks about playing against Pakistan ahead of the game.

“We haven’t lived up to the mark yet - we have spoken about that we haven’t scored much as the top order should, and we are hoping that in this World Cup as a batting unit, we can put up a good show,” she said.

“We have improved as a fast-bowling unit, especially Diana [Baig] and Fatima Sana have come far and I think we have gelled together.

1- SA Women: 2 Points (+0.640)

2- AUS Women: 2 Points (+0.240)

3- WI Women: 2 Points (+0.060)

4- IND Women: 0 Points

5- PAK Women: 0 Points

6- NZ Women: 0 Points (-0.060)

7- ENG Women: 0 Points (-0.240)

8- BAN Women: 0 Points (-0.640)

The Women's World Cup began on March 4 with West Indies stunning New Zealand in the opening game by 4 runs. South Africa have since defeated Bangladesh while Australia won a close encounter against England by 12 runs.

The India vs Pakistan game will be the fourth match of the tournament.

“I think as a team we are excited to get into the World Cup and starting our campaign tomorrow. It's the first game, we are not looking at it as it’s Pakistan we are playing against, we're looking at a team which has come prepared and we are equally prepared to put our best foot forward and we want to set a momentum going into the tournament, so that's how we look at our first game," Mithali Raj said ahead of the game.

In the warm-ups, Pakistan registered victories over Bangladesh (by 7 runs) and New Zealand (by 4 wickets). However, their last action before the WC came in November 2021 when the side defeated Zimbabwe in the tournament's qualifier game.

India had ended their series against New Zealand on a winning note, defeating the side by six wickets in the final ODI. However, the side faced four successive losses prior to the consolation victory.

In the warm-ups ahead of the women's World Cup, India registered a 2-run win in a close encounter with South Africa before beating West Indies convincingly, by 81 runs.

The Pakistan bowlers did a wonderful job at restricting India to 169/9 after Mithali Raj's side batted first. However, Pakistan's batting endured an embarrassing collapse as the side was bowled out on 74 with Ekta Bisht securing a five-wicket haul.

Here is India's record against Pakistan in the Women's World Cup:

Matches played: 3

India won: 3

Pakistan won: 0

As mentioned earlier, India have never lost to Pakistan in a women's ODI. Here are the H2H stats:

Matches played: 10

India won: 10

Pakistan won: 0

India's worst outing in the tournament, ironically, came at home in 2013. Barring the edition, India have not finished below fourth in any edition of the tournament where the side participated. In the previous edition, it was a heartbreak for Raj and co. as they faced a defeat in the final to England.

This will be Pakistan's only fifth appearance at the women's world cup with the side yet to lift a trophy. In fact, their best outing in the tournament is a fifth-place finish in 2009.

The side took on some of the strongest contenders in the build-up to the ODI World Cup over the past few months, facing the likes of South Africa at home, and traveling away at England, Australia, and New Zealand. The side didn't win a single series but the stats don't reflect the spirit with which the players fought throughout the games.

The Indian women's team has never lost to Pakistan in an ODI. The side has met Pakistan women in three ODIs throughout the World Cups, registering victory in all three. Mithali Raj and co. would like to ensure the record stays intact today.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of India vs Pakistan, Women's World Cup tie. Mithali Raj and co. begin their campaign against the arch-rivals and would aim for a strong start in the women's World Cup.