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A high voltage match to start a high voltage campaign. Team India will begin its 2026 ICC T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14. Before the match, Jemimah Rodrigues highlighted the pressure she faces from outside for this rivalry.
Jemimah Rodrigues says that the watchman of her building also asks her to defeat Pakistan. It cannot be denied that there is a lot of pressure regarding the India vs Pakistan match. Jemimah Rodrigues, now an experienced campaigner, had faced similar situations many times before.
india vs pakistan match in 2026 world cup
The ongoing 2026 ICC T20 World Cup begins on June 12 and India and Pakistan will begin their campaign in the tournament by facing each other on June 14 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
India is a strong contender to win the match. On paper, Pakistan looks far away from the ‘Women in Blue’. It is important to remember that even in a tournament like the World Cup, where multiple teams race for the same trophy, there is always the possibility of upsets.
Jemimah Rodrigues recalls conversation with Harmanpreet Kaur
Reminiscing about her first India vs Pakistan match, Jemimah Rodrigues shares her conversation with Harmanpreet Kaur. Rodrigues said Kaur also said there was a lot of pressure from outside because of the history of rivalry between the two countries. Players also have a good idea of what the fans want from them in the match.
“I remember when I played my first India-Pakistan match. In the dressing room, Harman Di (Harmanpreet Kaur) was actually talking to us, saying, ‘Let’s not deny it. There is pressure from outside because we know the history of India versus Pakistan. We know what the fans expect,'” Rodrigues told JoeStar, as quoted by news agency IANS.
The star batsman told about the watchman of the building who had urged Jemimah Rodrigues to defeat Pakistan. Rodrigues understands that Chowkidar and other Indian cricket fans also want to have their say because they love the rivalry.
‘Lose to anyone, but not to Pakistan’
“Even the watchman of my building says, ‘Lose to anyone, but not to Pakistan.’ It is a kind of pressure because people love cricket. They love this rivalry,” he said.
It is more important to win the entire tournament and lift the trophy than winning one match against Pakistan. Jemimah Rodriguez claims that they were dreaming of the moment when they would hoist the trophy. Expectations will be high from the Indian women’s cricket team as they are the winners of the previous edition of the ODI World Cup.
“Lifting that trophy! This morning, we envisioned it. We do that as a team. It’s our team theme. We did it during the 2025 World Cup. Amol sir (Amol Muzumdar) has made sure to do that for us here too, and we will continue to do that,” the batsman told the media ahead of the India vs Pakistan match.
