India vs Pakistan
Dambulla, July 19, 7.00pm local time
India and Pakistan – latest form
Let’s look at the last year.
India first, only in alphabets. They have played 17 T20Is this season and have a 10-5 losing record (with two draws). At the top, they won the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou by beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. They also lost series at home against England and Australia, swept Bangladesh 5-0 in Sylhet and, most recently, the three-match series in Chennai against South Africa ended 1-1, the second game after one was washed out. innings.
Pakistan has played the most T20I cricket in the same period – 19 completed matches. But they have won only seven and lost 12. Before the Asian games, they hosted South Africa at home and got a good result, winning 3-0. The Asian Games were no exception. They reached the semi-finals as expected, but lost to Sri Lanka there, and were beaten by Bangladesh in the bronze medal qualifier. They have since lost the T20I series in Bangladesh, at home against the West Indies, and were beaten 3-0 recently in England. The only series they won was in New Zealand late last year when they won 2-1.
India vs Pakistan – head to head
There have been 14 matches between these two teams over the years but, for known reasons, no bilateral series. In the last match held between the two countries, in Delhi during the T20 World Cup 2016, Pakistan beat India by two runs in a rain-shortened match. That, however, is one of only three matches that Pakistan have won against India in T20Is. India won 11.
Even in the Asia Cup, India has a huge edge. They have won five of the six matches they have played against Pakistan. Pakistan’s one win, however, was in the finals of the Asia Cup, in Sylhet, in 2022.
For India, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma form a devastating opening pair. Mandhana, usually the longer batsman of the two, has 3320 T20I runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83. Shafali’s corresponding numbers are 1748, 24.27 and 129.48. Eliminating one of them quickly is usually not enough for the opposition; both must be removed, and quickly.
For Pakistan, the star is captain Nida Dar, a bowling allrounder who picks up wickets most of the time he bowls and can be relied upon to score useful runs. And Sidra Amin has been in the middle of nowhere with the bat – he has 205 runs from eight innings this year.
In India and Sri Lanka, the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 will be broadcast on Star Sports Network. Live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar app and website in India. [ESPNcricinfo and Disney Star are part of the Walt Disney Company.]
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