India and Pakistan are set to renew their sporting rivalry once again, as their women’s teams meet in Colombo on Sunday in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup.
The clash comes after the nations’ men’s sides faced off on each of the past three weekends, with India claiming three successive victories en route to the Asia Cup title.
India head into the contest on the back of a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in their opening match, while Pakistan will be looking to recover from a heavy seven-wicket defeat against Bangladesh.
Tensions between the two countries have overshadowed recent men’s encounters, with players refusing to shake hands and captains avoiding engagement at the toss.
Despite India hosting the World Cup, all of Pakistan’s fixtures are being held in the Sri Lankan capital, as neither side is willing to play on the other’s soil.
Relations between the women’s teams had previously been amicable — during the 2022 World Cup, players from both sides posed for photos with the baby of Pakistan captain Bismah Mahroof — but both camps avoided commenting on the matter ahead of Sunday’s match.
“Our main goal is to play, our focus is only on the game,” Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said. “We try to keep healthy relationships with every team. Whatever comes in the spirit of the game, we try to maintain that. What happened before, like with Bismah’s daughter when everyone mingled and enjoyed together — as players, we all like such moments. But the main thing is to stay focused on what we have come here for.”
Sana expressed confidence that her side can recover from their opening loss. “You can’t judge your team based on one match. We can’t think that one bad game defines us,” she said. “We know that when it’s India vs Pakistan, the whole world is watching. So yes, there is pressure, but the main thing is how we handle it.”
However, weather could play a major role, as Saturday’s match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Colombo was abandoned due to rain, with forecasts for Sunday also looking bleak.
If play goes ahead, the focus will be split between on-field performance and the diplomatic undertones surrounding one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries.
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