ICC Women's World Cup 2017: History favours India over Pakistan ahead of big clash

Pakistan’s women team has come leaps and bounds, but beating India may be out of their grasp

The Indian women’s record against bitter rivals Pakistan is exceptional having beaten them on all nine occasions they have met in ODIs. Having first clashed in 2005, the Indian women will look to continue on their merry ways when they face off again later today.

India’s form in this tournament has been exceptional, thrashing both opponents handsomely. They upset England, and thoroughly smashed the West Indies, the reigning T20 champions. Their top order has been in fantastic form, with 20-year-old Smriti Mandhana scoring 196 runs in just two games. 

Here is the complete list of Pakistan-India women's’ ODI clashes: 

Year	Winner	Margin
2005	India	193 runs
2006	India	10 wickets
2006	India	80 runs
2006	India	103 runs
2008	India	182 runs
2008	India	207 runs
2009	India	10 wickets
2013	India	6 wickets
2017	India	7 wickets

The two sides have played each other very little in the last eight years, owing mainly due to the politically strained Indo-Pakistan relations. This is a direct parallel to the men’s cricket world, where since the 2009 Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, little cricket has been played between the two nations.

The Pakistan women’s team seem to be closing the gap between the two nations, with two closest games coming in the two most recent games. The Pakistan team of the early 2000s is not the same in playing level and professionalism as the contenders in this World Cup, and will not be the same sitting ducks they were for many years. 

For mainly socio-economic and religious reasons, Pakistan women’s cricket has remained far behind India’s. However, they have made strides in the past, making South Africa sweat in a loss against the Proteas, but succumbing heavily to a dominant England. Their new-look side could give India a challenge, but will go into the game as firm underdogs. The weather might also play a part, as it did in Pakistan’s last game. 

In the women’s game, the rift between teams’ skill levels are sometimes too great. India’s team has gotten significantly more professional of late, showing their class in their recent games. Pakistan, meanwhile, are on the right track, getting support from the government and board to develop, but it will take some time before they can compete as serious contenders in a World Cup.