There is usually the usual craziness that comes with each cricket match between India and Pakistan: the boiling emotions, the roof-cracking TV numbers, and the crazy supporters. But in women’s cricket, this kind of drama frequently takes a back place, at least when it comes to on-field rivalry. Even if the tremendous emotions may make it seem like a play, the truth is that the rivalry has been very one-sided, with India winning most of the time.
Statistically, the superiority is clear: Pakistan has only won three of its 16 T20 International (T20I) matches against India, and they have never beaten India in the One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 11 tries.
“It’s a cricket game, and anything can happen on Sunday.” But in actuality, there is no competition. “You look at the stats, India has never lost to Pakistan [in ODIs],” Hemlata Kala, the previous top selector for Indian women’s cricket, told PTI.
A Rivalry “Misplaced” by Power
The gap between the two teams is still big, which makes many people doubt what the rivalry really is. A competitive balance, where wins and losses are traded back and forth, creates real rivalries. The Indian women’s team has often seen victories over Pakistan as just another step toward bigger goals, like moving up in World Cups or tournament openers.
Hemlata Kala said, “I think India should just focus on getting into the top four first,” which means that the match versus Pakistan is not the main priority.
On the other hand, every meeting for Pakistan is a life-or-death battle, a last-ditch effort to close a deficit that has only grown with time. Their story will stay “frozen” until they get that first ODI win, which is hard to come by.
It looks like this Sunday’s game at the R Premadasa Stadium will go according to plan: India won their first tournament game against Sri Lanka by a huge 59 runs, while Pakistan lost to Bangladesh by a pathetic seven wickets.
The Off-Field Drama Is the Main Event
The match takes place after three weeks of high-stakes drama between the men’s teams at the Asia Cup. That argument ended with champion India refusing to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Naqvi then took the trophy and left.
The terror assault in Pahalgam that killed 26 people has also made the political relationship between the two countries worse. The Indian government still only lets India play Pakistan in multi-nation competitions, and bilateral cricket is still on hold.
Because of this, the tension off the field is likely to be more important than the activity on the field. The Indian women’s squad is unlikely to shake hands with the Pakistani players, just like the men did during the Asia Cup. These fast-setting “new non-cordial norms” between the players might be the only thing that causes a lot of tension and excitement at the stadium, given how things are going on the field.