As India geared up to face Pakistan in their ICC Women’s World Cup encounter in Colombo on Sunday, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav sent a clear message to Harmanpreet Kaur and her side. In a video message shared ahead of the match, Suryakumar said, “I’ll again say rivalry is when the competition is neck to neck. 11-0 is not a rivalry. If our women’s team focuses on playing good cricket, it will be 12-0.” India’s women have never lost an ODI to Pakistan, leading the head-to-head 11-0. In matches batting first, their average winning margin is 138 runs, while in chases, they’ve won by an average of eight wickets and with 26 overs to spare. The record in Women’s World Cups stands at 4-0 in India’s favour. The Indian men’s team recently extended their dominance over Pakistan too, defeating them thrice at the Asia Cup. The six-wicket win in the Super 4 clash on September 21 stood out for the comments Suryakumar made after the win. After the result, Suryakumar had played down the hype around the contest, saying the term “rivalry” no longer applies. “You guys should stop asking questions about the rivalry between India-Pakistan. According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches, and if it is even, then it is a rivalry. 10-0, 10-1, I don’t know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore. I think we played better cricket than them (Pakistan), and also from a bowling point of view,” he had told reporters after the Asia Cup victory. That carried into his message for the women’s side, as India looked to continue their perfect record in ODIs against their rivals. At the toss on Sunday, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bowl first, citing overcast conditions. “We’re going to bowl first, looks like there could be some moisture on the wicket. One change for us – Sadaf Shamas replaces Omaima Sohail. Our confidence is great, hopefully we’ll play better today. Anything under 250 could be a good chase,” she said.
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India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her side was focused and settled despite one forced change. “We played a good series here before the World Cup. We’re thinking positively and are looking to do well. One unfortunate change – Amanjot isn’t playing (she’s ill), Renuka Thakur replaces her. We’ve gelled well as a team and looking forward to today’s contest,” she said.To add to the tension, the skippers did not shake hands, mirroring the stance held by the men’s side at the Asia Cup.
