Women's T20 World Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: 3 records that could be broken in today's match
In one of the marquee clashes of the year, Team India are set to lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the fourth match of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.
The grand battle between the two sides will be played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday, February 12.
This will be the second contest in Group B after England beat the West Indies by seven wickets to open their campaign on Saturday, February 11.
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Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India Women will surely start the game as favorites given their dominant head-to-head record over Pakistan. The Women in Blue have defeated their neighbors on four of the six occasions at the T20 World Cups.
However, the Indian team will be without the services of their vice-captain and batting star Smriti Mandhana, who will miss the opening fixture due to a finger injury.
Pakistan Women, on the other hand, will be led by Bismah Maroof. They beat Bangladesh Women in their first warm-up game before losing against South Africa Women.
Experienced players including Aliya Riaz, Javeria Khan and Nida Dar hold the key for them and will need to bring out their A-game against their arch-rivals to start the tournament on a winning note.
The highly anticipated fixture also offers both teams a chance to shatter some records on Sunday. On that note, let's take a look at the top three records that could be broken in the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup tie between India and Pakistan.
#3 Bismah Maroof could become the eighth-highest run-getter in Women's T20I history
Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof, who bats at No. 3, is considered a modern-day legend for her country. The hard-hitting left-hander is on the verge of breaking a record for being the eighth-highest run-getter in Women's T20I history.
Currently with 2560 runs at an average of 26.6 in 123 innings, Maroof is the highest run-getter for Pakistan in Women's T20Is. However, if she manages to score at least 46 runs in today's game, she will surpass former England legend Charlotte Edwards as the eighth-highest run-getter.
Edwards amassed 2605 runs at an average of 32.9 across 93 T20I innings.
#2 Deepti Sharma could become India's highest wicket-taker in Women's T20I history
Star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma has grown from strength to strength since her debut in 2016. More often than not, she has come up with clutch wickets and has been a great contributor for India.
She is currently second on the list of India's highest wicket-takers in Women's T20I history. Sharma has picked up 96 wickets at an economy of 6.08 across 87 innings.
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If she manages to take three wickets against Pakistan today, she will eclipse Poonam Yadav as India's highest wicket-taker in Women's T20Is. Yadav took 98 wickets during her career.
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur could become the first-ever Indian women's cricketer to reach 3000 T20I runs
With Smriti Mandhana set to miss the crunch tie against Pakistan, the onus of providing fireworks with the bat will be on Harmanpreet Kaur. The Indian skipper is considered one of the best middle-order batters of her generation.
Kaur, who has amassed as many as 2940 runs at an average of 28.46 and at a strike rate of 106.4, is the highest run-getter in Women's T20Is for India. Another 60 runs will mean that the 33-year-old will become the first-ever Indian women's cricketer to reach 3000 T20I runs.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has played most Women's T20I matches.
Suzie Bates is at second spot with 140 matches.
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Moreover, if she manages to score at least 11 runs in Cape Town, she will surpass Sophie Devine's record of 2950 runs to become the fourth-highest run-getter in Women's T20I history.