From the men’s field to the women’s field, the India–Pakistan action continues as the iconic rivalry arrives at the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The two sides are coming into this game on the back of mixed results in their respective tournament openers.
Ahead of another iconic chapter in the IND–PAK rivalry, here are our match preview and predictions.
India kicked off their World Cup campaign in strong fashion, registering a 59-run win over co-hosts Sri Lanka. While the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues had an off day with the bat, India showed depth and resilience, fighting back from 124/6 to get to 269. Resilient fifties from Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur helped the Women in Blue mount a late fightback. Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol got strong starts at the top of the order — something they’ll look to build on moving ahead.
With no Renuka Singh, it was Kranti Goud and Amanjot Kaur leading the Indian bowling attack — and both proved clinical with the new ball. While the seamers provided stability, the spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and Shree Charani pumped the brakes of the Lankan batters. Given that the Colombo track has already proven supportive to the slower bowlers, India will rely a lot on their spinners here.
Pakistan, on the other hand, had a horror show against Bangladesh. Golden ducks for Omaima Sohail and in-form Sidra Amin didn’t help their cause, while Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim were left questioning their shot selection after settling on the crease. With the ball, the Women in Green did show some promise, with captain Fatima Sana and the veteran Diana Baig leading from the front. Their bowling performance was arguably the only positive Pakistan could take from this game, though; Sana & Co will be aware that they won’t last long in the tournament if their batting doesn’t click soon. That said, playing again in Colombo will at least hand them the advantage of understanding the conditions better.
In slow and gripping conditions, India, with their superior spin attack, holds the advantage. Expect Harmanpreet Kaur & Co to pick up their second win of the campaign against their arch-rivals.
Fantasy XI: Smriti Mandhana (c), Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Fatima Sana (vc), Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Winners Prediction: India
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