India Women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first against arch-rivals Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup opening match on Sunday in Birmingham. This marks India's first T20I toss win after eight consecutive losses and their first on English soil after 12 straight toss defeats since 2022.
Kaur's Decision at the Toss
Speaking at the toss, Kaur said, "We will bat first. I think it's a very good pitch to bat on, so we just thought, let's bat and set a decent total on the board." She expressed confidence from their previous ODI World Cup victory, stating, "The last World Cup definitely gave us a lot of confidence, and we just want to carry that confidence to this World Cup." Regarding team selection, Kaur confirmed that Bharti Fulmali replaced Yastika Bhatia, and the team opted for three spinners and two medium pacers.
Pakistan Captain's Remarks
Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana noted that they would have also batted first if they had won the toss, as the pitch appeared favorable for batting. She acknowledged the strength of India's bowling attack but emphasized the need to improve their batting. Sana also announced that Saira Jabeen would make her World Cup debut.
Playing XIs
- India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud.
- Pakistan Women: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (w), Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (c), Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Tasmia Rubab, Sadia Iqbal.
India, the reigning ODI world champions, begin their Women's T20 World Cup campaign with this high-profile clash. The match promises a competitive contest between the two sides.
