India women’s team is ready to square off against Pakistan in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 match on Sunday in Colombo. Just a week ago, the India men’s team thrashed Pakistan in the final match to win the Asia Cup 2025 title. The continental tournament, where the arch-rivals faced each other thrice, was filled with controversial moments due to the political tensions between the two nations. With Harmanpreet Kaur at the helm, the women’s team is now set to deliver another action-packed Sunday to the cricket fans around the world.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated match, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana recalled her fond memories from the previous World Cup and appreciated the camaraderie between both teams.
“After the Pakistan-India match in the 2022 World Cup, the whole Indian team came and met us. The way they celebrated and interacted was really special. That’s when I felt we shared a great relationship with them,” said Fatima during the pre-match press conference.
Seeing the ongoing tensions and the controversies that happened between the two teams at the Asia Cup, Fatima’s remarks came as a big surprise.
The Pakistan skipper also had high praise for her Indian counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur, calling her an “impactful player”.
“Harmanpreet Kaur is obviously a senior and experienced player. The way she carries the team with so many hopes is impressive. She is a very impactful player; she can hit and defend when needed and contributes a lot on the field,” Fatima said.
Fatima assured Pakistan remains undeterred despite the scoreline that exists against India and remains focused on trying their best to execute their plan.
“If you see, we are like a family – we 20-22 people are like one family, so we are not at all focused on what’s going on outside. Obviously, we know what’s happening around us, but we try to stay focused only on the game, because the World Cup is an event every player waits for. We will try to keep our focus on the tournament and on what we have come here for,” she said.
“Firstly, whatever records exist between India and Pakistan are meant to be broken. It’s not that Pakistan will never win against them. We believe in playing good cricket, no matter who the opponent is. So we won’t think about past history; we’ll focus only on the day we play. And yes, when you play against big teams, you make proper plans for each player. We’ll try our best to execute those plans well and prepare effectively for every opponent,” she said.
(With Agency Inputs)