table of contents
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is already underway in England and Wales. On Sunday, India women’s national cricket team took on Pakistan women’s national cricket team at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team won the game by 64 runs and extended their unassailable lead to 8–2, the only time Pakistan has won against their arch-rivals.
Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first, as the Women in Blue scored 170/6 in their 20 overs, with Smriti Mandhana top-scoring with 68 off 44 balls, and the rest of India’s bowling attack dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up as they were bowled out for 107, with Muniba Ali top-scoring with 41.
There is a huge gap between the two teams – Aakash Chopra on India-Pakistan rivalry
After the defeat, former India opener Aakash Chopra has made a comment on the India vs Pakistan rivalry. He also took a dig at the men’s team, saying that in recent years neither the men’s nor the women’s cricket team could fight against India and win. In the last 10 meetings, India have won 9 games across all formats.
“Pakistan is not that good. Be it boys or girls, the stories are actually always the same. This time, the Indian girls once again showed that there is a huge difference between the two teams. We won the match easily by 64 runs and had a very good net run rate. That means we thrashed Pakistan once again,” he said.
It reminded me of 2011 – Shafali Verma, who reminded Aakash Chopra of Virender Sehwag
Speaking on India’s batting, he started with Shafali Verma, who reminded Aakash Chopra of Virender Sehwag in 2011, when Virender Sehwag would hit the first ball to the boundary in the same manner as Shafali Verma would hit a six. Additionally, he pointed to Jemimah Rodrigues being a bit harsh after she was out on a run.
He said, “Shafali Verma came and hit a six on the first ball and it reminded me of 2011. Viru (Virender Sehwag), who has been her idol, had hit a four on the first ball in every match in that campaign. She has hit a six here. I don’t know whether she will be able to hit a six on the first ball in every match or not. However, she gave such a start, but then she got out.”
Chopra elaborated, “Jemima looked a bit scratchy, and she got out too. You’re struggling a bit, but then Smriti Mandhana did brilliantly. She’s an incredible player. I call her the goddess of the off side. She hits brilliant shots, whether it’s down the ground or over cover. She’s brilliant.”
Aakash Chopra was impressed by Deepti Sharma
Aakash Chopra also praised Smriti Mandhana’s innings and Richa Ghosh’s innings as Richa formed a partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Richa Ghosh scored 34 runs off 17 balls and provided the Blue Ladies with the finish they needed.
“I really liked the way they played in this game. Their partnership with Harman was important, with Harman playing really slowly. It’s important that you keep the ego aside sometimes and try to build a partnership. In total, the team reached 170 courtesy Richa Ghosh. She hits 70 sixes to pass the time,” he said.
Aakash Chopra also praised Deepti Sharma after her POTM performance as he gave her a 5/10. He said, “Deepti Sharma dismissed Muniba Ali with a direct hit and then she took five wickets. She has started the T20 tournament from where she left in the 50-over World Cup. She was the player of the tournament in the 50-over World Cup and here she has become the player of the match in the first match itself.”
