Former player Bajid Khan accuses England of bias in pitches favoring India

Tension resurfaced before the match between India and Pakistan at the stadium in Dubai. During the draw, the captains of India, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Pakistan, Fatima Sana, declined to shake hands.

Although exchanging handshakes after the draw is common practice in cricket, this tradition was not observed in this match. The distance between the two captains was evident during their meeting at the International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

This is not the first instance of such behavior; the Indian team has recently adopted a policy of refusing handshakes in matches against Pakistan. A similar scene was also observed previously when these two captains met at the T20 World Cup.

Harmanpreet Kaur made a statement regarding external factors. When asked about paying attention to events off the field during the draw, she clearly stated that the entire team is focused solely on the game, and the players' attention is not diverted by what is happening outside the field.

Regarding the match itself, Pakistan's captain, Fatima Sana, won the toss and decided to start the game with a toss. The Indian team has already secured its place in the tournament semi-finals and aims to continue its successful run in this match.

The Indian team roster includes: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratik Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Barhati Phulmali, Rich Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Dipti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandni Sharma, Shri Charni, and Kranti Gaur.

The Pakistan team roster includes: Muniba Ali (wicketkeeper), Shawal Julfikar, Gul Firoza, Aisha Jaafar, Sadf Shammas, Fatima Sana (captain), Umm-e-Hani, Ayman Fatima, Tuba Hasan, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal.

The atmosphere is heating up at the Women's T20 Asia Cup in Dubai, and cricket fans' attention is once again focused on the anticipated blockbuster match between India and Pakistan. The clash between the teams is scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.

The Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, is demonstrating impressive form, securing confident victories in the first two games and thus ensuring their place in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Pakistan started its tournament with a victory over Thailand by a margin of 35 runs.

This match promises to be extremely tense, and viewers are ready to watch it on television. The game will take place at the International Stadium in Dubai, and all preparations for this highly anticipated event are complete. The match can be watched live today at 20:00 on Sony Sports Network.

History of confrontations: India's victory in 2024

Looking at the history of meetings between these two teams, the Indian team traditionally outperforms Pakistan. Nevertheless, in 2022, Pakistan managed an unexpected success by defeating India by a margin of 13 runs. However, after this incident, the Indian squad did not allow them to recover.

The last meeting between these two teams took place during the 2024 Asia Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. In that match, the Indian team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, achieved a convincing victory over the Pakistani team by 7 wickets. It is worth noting that India finished the game before 35 overs were left to be played.

Course of the 2024 match: Dominance of Indian bowlers

In the previous Asia Cup match, Pakistan decided to start the game by choosing batting after winning the toss. However, this move proved unsuccessful. The entire Pakistani team was dismissed for only 108 runs against the Indian bowlers. Quick deliveries from Indian bowler Pooja Vastrakar and short spells significantly impacted the Pakistani batsmen. The remaining runs were contributed by Renuka Singh Thakur and Dipti Sharma. Among the Pakistani players, Sidra Amin managed to score the most runs—25 runs.

India's response: Attack by Shafali and Mandhana

For the Indian team, chasing the relatively small target of 109 runs proved to be an easy task. The Indian opening pair, consisting of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, demonstrated superiority over the Pakistani bowlers. Both players together scored 85 runs in the first interval, allowing the team to easily cross the winning threshold.

The women's teams of India and Pakistan will meet today, Saturday, at the International Stadium in Dubai. This intense Women's Asian Cup 2026 match is scheduled for 20:00. The Harmanpreet Kaur team has already secured a spot in the semi-finals by winning the first two matches, while the Indian team faces the task of confronting Pakistan.

Matches between India and Pakistan on sports fields are always highly competitive. However, statistics show a clear advantage for India within the Women's Asian Cup. In all seven T20 Asian Cup matches between the two teams, Pakistan has managed to defeat India only once, which occurred in Sylhet in 2022.

This time, the Harmanpreet Kaur team remains a strong contender. India guaranteed its place in the semi-finals by securing convincing victories over Thailand and Hong Kong. Specifically, against Hong Kong, India scored 193 runs and achieved a decisive victory by a margin of 137 runs. Smriti Mandhana delivered an impressive innings of 124 runs, setting several significant records.

Nevertheless, victory over Pakistan cannot depend solely on statistics. In Dubai, India faces three serious obstacles that could change the course of the game.

The first obstacle is the toss factor. In the early stages of the Asian Cup, captains most often chose to start the game with a toss, whereas in six out of seven matches, the teams preferred to chase the target. However, the pitch situation in Dubai is not straightforward. Although the field looks suitable for batsmen in the initial phase, it may slow down as the match progresses, giving a significant advantage to spinners. In the current tournament, spinners have taken more wickets than fast bowlers.

The question of whether to choose an attack or defense start after winning the toss will be difficult for Harmanpreet.

The second challenge is the influence of spin bowling. The dominance of spinners is evident in this Asian Cup: they have taken 71 wickets, with an economy rate of about 5.1, while fast bowlers have taken only 31 wickets at an economy rate of 6.18. India has an answer to this challenge through the presence of spinners like Dipti Sharma and Radha Yadav, allowing the team to put pressure on Pakistan in the middle of the innings. Dipti has already proven her usefulness by taking six wickets in the first two matches.

However, Pakistan could repeat this history. Therefore, if the pitch slows down, the middle overs will become difficult for aggressive Indian batsmen.

The third hurdle is the hot conditions of Dubai. Despite the evening timing of the match, the heat and humidity will test the players. Forecasts indicate that the temperature during the game will be around 36-37 degrees Celsius, and due to high humidity, the heat will feel stronger. The probability of rain is nil. Thus, the players will have to contend not only with Pakistan's bowling but also with the hot and humid conditions of Dubai. Smriti Mandhana previously described these conditions as being like a 'steam chamber.'

Despite these three difficulties, India's chances remain higher. The team is in excellent form, and an aggressive start from the top order by Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma could be the biggest problem for Pakistan. Mandhana, after her 124-run innings against Hong Kong, gained immense confidence. She has also become the leading batter in women's international cricket in terms of runs scored.

For Harmanpreet, this match is also special as she will play her 150th T20I match as captain—a record number for any captain in men's or women's cricket.

Statistics are on India's side, but the test in Dubai is yet to come. On paper, India is clearly stronger: 6 wins out of 7 against Pakistan in the T20 Asian Cup is the most convincing proof. Pakistan's game also looked unstable, whereas India won both its matches by a margin of over 90 runs.

However, on Saturday, the story will not only revolve around the India versus Pakistan confrontation. On one side will be India's dominance, and on the other, the three enemies of Dubai: the toss, spin, and heat. If the Harmanpreet Kaur team can overcome these three challenges, India's dominance over Pakistan will become even more obvious.