CWG 2022: India vs Pakistan match draws instant attention across all sports, and more so in cricket. The men’s cricket between India and Pakistan has seen some great clashes, performances, and fierce rivalry on the field. They also share great friendships off the field. Similarly, women’s cricket too has echoed similar sentiments and sometimes, it is even better than men’s cricket.
Remember the moment when Indian women cricketers surrounded and gleefully played with Baby Fatima, the infant daughter of Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, and posed for selfies during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup? Come July 31, the same camaraderie will be seen again off the field when India and Pakistan clash in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, but no inches will be given when the women cricketers from either side take the field in this crucial clash.
Both teams had lost their opening games. India lost to Australia narrowly by 3 wickets, while Pakistan lost to Barbados by 15 runs. A win on July 31 would keep the team in contention for a place in the semis, while a loss would see an early exit. Hence, a lot is at stake when India and Pakistan square off in the high-voltage clash.
India needs to produce team effort
India will take a lot of positives from the loss against Australia. Their captain Harmanpreet Kaur cracked a 34-ball 52, while opener Shefali Varma made 33-ball 48. Medium-pacer Renuka Singh rattled the Australian top-order with 4 wickets, but yet India could not finish off the game. Hence, India needs more support from their other batswomen to complement their captain Kaur and opener Varma. A lot of pressure will fall on the middle-order if the two players have an off day.
Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues have to get going for India to put up a good batting display. Similarly, India needs their other bowlers to support Renuka to finish off games, and stop opponents from making any comeback after the early jolts. There is no news yet on whether Pooja Vastrakar and S Meghana are available to play. Otherwise, India may go with the same XI that did duty against Australia.
Brilliant with the ball from #TeamIndia 💥🔥
Renuka Thakur picks up her fourth wicket.
Australia are 4 down for 34 runs.
Live – https://t.co/cuQZ7NHmpB #AUSvIND #B2022 pic.twitter.com/XvJYPVTBCR
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 29, 2022
Previous results: India has won just two matches in their last 5 T20Is. Nevertheless, India would fancy their chances against Pakistan as they have a favourable record in T20Is against their neighbours.
Key players: Captain Kaur and Renuka will be the key players again for India as they are the in-form cricketers who can give Pakistan a run for their money. And a key game like this would definitely fire them up.
Probable XI: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Deepti Sharma, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol and Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
READ MORE: CWG 2022: Here Is All You Need To Know About The Tournament
Pakistan needs to put up a better display
Pakistan showed their fighting spirit when they bounced back from 49/4 in 10 overs to 118/4 in the 19th over and 129/6 in the 20th over, with Nida Dar showing the way during the chase of 145 against Barbados in their opening clash. But they fell short by 15 runs. Dar made a brilliant 31-ball 50 not out, but could not take the team across the finish line.
But come July 31, Pakistan would look to make amends for the mistakes they made in the opener, and come out all guns blazing against India. However, Pakistan has more problems to contend with than India. Their bowlers could not make much impact against Barbados, and against a star-studded line-up of India, their task would be cut out. Similarly, except for Dar, the Pakistan batting unit failed to fire in unison. Pakistan must play as a team to get the better of India.
The standout performer for Pakistan 👏@CoolNidadar smashed seven fours and one six in her gallant effort ⚡#B2022 | #BackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/kyR2zGrKFs
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 29, 2022
Previous results: Pakistan has just won 1 match in their last 5 T20Is. They will have to stop the losing streak to stay alive in the tournament.
Key players: Dar would again be crucial to Pakistan’s chances in the do-or-die clash. Skipper Maroof would also look to lead from the front to oust India from the tournament.
Probable XI: Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, OmaimaSohail, BismahMaroof (captain), Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naeem, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hasan, Diana Baig, Amam Amin.
Head to Head
In 11 T20Is between the two teams, India has won 9 of them and lost 2. Those 2 losses have been nail-biters and could have gone either way. Hence, India enjoys an edge over Pakistan in this format.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Edgbaston in Birmingham usually favours the bowlers initially before becoming conducive for strokeplay when the ball turns soft. If the batsmen could withstand the initial few overs, they can make merry thereafter.
CWG 2022 Match 5 Telecast Details:
TV: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: Sony Liv App
CWG 2022 Squads for India vs Pakistan match:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sabbineni Meghana, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav
Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (c), Mubeena Ali (wk), Anam Amin, AimanAnwer, Diana Baig, Nida Dar, Gull Feroza (wk), Tuba Hassan, Kainat Imtiaz, Sadia Iqbal, Iram Javed, Ayesha Naseem, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail
