Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Predicting 3 players who will score most runs in India vs Pakistan match
The much-awaited India vs Pakistan battle will take place at the women's T20 World Cup 2023 on Sunday, February 12, at Newlands. This will be the two Asian teams' opening match of their respective campaigns.
India \have performed well in the recent past. The Women in Blue finished runners-up in the tri-series against West Indies and South Africa earlier this year, while they won the Asia Cup championship last year.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are on a three-match losing streak. They lost two T20Is against Australia last month and also suffered a defeat against Ireland back in November 2022.
Looking at recent form, India will start as the favorites but fans should note that Pakistan won the last meeting between the two sides in Asia Cup 2022. It should be an exciting clash, and the team whose batters perform well at Newlands will earn crucial points from this group-stage match.
Newlands hosted the tournament opener of women's T20 World Cup 2023, where Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu scored a half-century and led her nation to a win versus South Africa.
India and Pakistan will hope that one of their batters scores big like Chamari today. Here's a list of the three batters who could score the most runs in women's T20 World Cup 2023 match.
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur, India
In the absence of the injured Smriti Mandhana, captain Harmanpreet Kaur will have the responsibility of scoring big for India. Kaur has been in great touch of late as she has aggregated 246 runs in the last nine matches. Her batting average in those games has been 41, while her strike rate has been in the range of 130.
Kaur did not bat in any of the warm-up matches of women's T20 World Cup 2023, but she crossed the 30-run mark twice in her last three innings on South African soil.
#2 Nida Dar, Pakistan
Nida Dar was the Player of the Match in the previous battle between India and Pakistan. She top-scored for the Women in Green with a 56-run knock. Dar came out to bat at number five and smashed five fours and a six.
Conditions will be different in Cape Town today compared to the Asia Cup match in Sylhet, but if Dar continues her good form, she could end up as the top run-scorer in the game.
#3 Shafali Verma, India
Shafali Verma recently led India to the U-19 women's T20 World Cup 2023 championship on South African soil. She has played a lot of cricket in South Africa of late.
In Smriti Mandhana's absence, Verma will have a big role to play for India at the top of the order.
Verma has registered five half-centuries in her T20I career so far, and if she gets going in Cape Town, the rising star of Indian cricket could top the batting charts.