Ahead of the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana spoke about the significance of the India-Pakistan rivalry, emphasizing the deep emotions that fans associate with it.
India will kick off their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at the Dubai International Stadium, followed by the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on October 6 at the same venue.
Mandhana shared her thoughts , saying, “The India-Pakistan rivalry is more about the emotions of the fans than anything else. It’s not like the players don’t talk to each other; it’s the emotions from both nations that make it so intense.”
She added that while each World Cup match holds special importance, the India-Pakistan games carry an extra emotional weight.
When asked about India’s rivalry with Australia, Mandhana emphasized the challenge of facing the reigning champions, noting that teams cannot afford to make mistakes against them. “With Australia, you know you can’t afford to make mistakes. You have to bring your best game on that particular day to get the better of them,” she remarked, highlighting the excitement and challenge that comes with playing against the Aussies.
In the 2022 Women’s T20 World Cup, India made it to the semifinals but were once again halted by Australia, who went on to win their sixth title. Mandhana will play a key role in India’s bid to surpass their past performances and claim the title this year.
India Squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024:
- Harmanpreet Kaur (C)
- Smriti Mandhana (VC)
- Shafali Verma
- Deepti Sharma
- Jemimah Rodrigues
- Richa Ghosh (WK)
- Yastika Bhatia (WK)
- Pooja Vastrakar
- Arundhati Reddy
- Renuka Singh
- Dayalan Hemalatha
- Asha Sobhana
- Radha Yadav
- Shreyanka Patil
- Sajana Sajeevan
Travelling Reserves:
- Uma Chetry (WK)
- Tanuja Kanwer
- Saima Thakor
Non-Travelling Reserves:
- Raghvi Bist
- Priya Mishra
