🏏ICC Women's World Cup 2025: Australia W vs India W, 2nd Semi-Final🏏 - Page 2

'India-Pakistan Matches Are Always Intense' - Harmanpreet Kaur

“We have grown up watching India-Pakistan games and always wanted to be a part of them. We always talk about treating it as any other game and staying focused.” Smriti also said that whenever a clash with the arch-rival comes, everyone meets them and tells them to win, and the team enjoys such an atmosphere.

“The atmosphere during India-Pakistan games is always very intense; it is always a full house. Everyone you meet since morning tells you to win. That sort of atmosphere also brings out the best in you sometimes. My teammates and I absolutely enjoy that,” she said.

Can Pakistan Pull Off A Surprise?

Pakistan is capable of pulling off a surprise. They have batters like Sidra Ameen, Mubeena Ali, and Aliya Riaz, who have shown good skills with the bat. If Pakistan can bat well, they can certainly put India on the back foot.

Smriti Mandhana In Great Form

Smriti Mandhana has been in great form in ODIs this year. Recently, during the ODI series against Australia Women, she scored her 12th ODI hundred. This was her third hundred this year, and she became the first player in the world to score three hundreds in a year twice.

Pitch Report

The surface has been good for batting, but the overcast conditions will make the pitch a bit spicier. The new ball could move a lot so playing out the new ball would be key.

Latest Weather Update

Good news, folks! The recent weather report suggests that there is no rain in Colombo at the moment, and blue skies could be seen at the R Premadasa Stadium.

The Indian team had opted to utilize the only off-day at the match venue to get a feel of the ground having come to Colombo at a time which is usually the start of season back home. They went through their routine fielding drills under the lights - high-catching in one corner and slip-catching in another, even as the groundstaff methodically covered the main square anticipating the inevitable dew. But just as the session was settling into its rhythm, a slithering twist stole the spotlight. You could tell there were foreigners around for the amount of concern its presence drew, but for the staff of Premadasa, Grandaiya- a non-venomous rat snake in Sinhala - is a house resident, and one of their own. Even the wild "wanted a front-row seat" now that India had come to play.

Did you know?

- Smriti Mandhana is only 104 runs away from becoming only the second Indian, after Mithali Raj (7805), and fifth overall to score 5000 runs in WODIs

- Smriti Mandhana (936) needs another 35 for the most runs in a calendar year in Women's ODIs, beating Belinda Clark's record of 970 in 1997

- India's run-rate of 6.36 in 2025 is second only to New Zealand's 6.57 in 2018 for a team in a calendar year

What they said:

"There is a lot of info available for us. I mean, there is a lot of info. There are performance analysts who give us a lot of info regarding them. There's a lot of video footage. There are a lot of patterns that you can figure out how a team is playing, how an individual is playing. So, on the basis of that, you can derive a lot of plans out of it," - India bowling coach Avishkar Salvi on the challenge of preparing against a side they don't meet in bilaterals.

"Their support is very important to me because they always stand by me. They know I have room to make mistakes, and if I do, they help me. Seniors like Sidra, Alia, and even Diana always make sure the team stays united. If someone makes a mistake, someone else immediately covers it up. The way our team is right now, and the unity we have - obviously as a young captain it's challenging, but with their support, I don't feel it much," - Pakistan captain Fatima Sana on managing seniors as a young captain

Pak won the toss and opted to bowl first

Opening is good. Although now Pakistan is curtailing

Pratika is playing good.

But India should aim for something around 300,

Now the Runrate has come below even 5