India & Pakistan meet in Women's T20 World Cup

Dubai: No bilateral series. No friendly exchange. India and Pakistan only meet in World Cups – and every time they do, an entire subcontinent holds it breath.

In eight T20 World Cup meetings, India have won six, but Pakistan’s two victories – in 2012 and 2016 – are seared into the memory of every fan who watched them. History favors India. But this fixture has never cared much for history.

Harmanpreet Kaur leads India for the fifth time at this tournament, backed by a squad brimming with talent but carrying genuine question marks into Edgbaston.

Smriti Mandhana has not crossed 40 in her last nine T20 matches across all competitions, while Harmanpreet herself has been managing her workload carefully.

If those two fire, India become a different proposition entirely. If they don’t, the middle order faces a stern test. The bowling, led by Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh, looks their most reliable department.

Pakistan, meanwhile, arrive with a captain playing the cricket of her life. Fatima Sana set the world record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20Is during Pakistan’s recent series against Zimbabwe – 50 off just 15 balls.

She is not just a captain – she is Pakistan’s heartbeat, and if she ignites the lower order at Edgbaston, India will have no margin for error.

Tactically, Pakistan’s spinners – Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan – will probe India’s top order relentlessly in English conditions. India’s spin trio will return the favour.

India will have the upper hand, but Pakistan only needs one moment. And at Edgbaston, one moment is always possible.

Earlier on Sunday, Bangladesh and the Netherlands open their World Cup accounts at the same venue in what will be an intriguing contest between two sides with something to prove – Bangladesh seeking to remind the top teams they belong here, the Netherlands making their maiden T20 World Cup appearance.