Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur says her team is ready for the high-voltage match against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which will get under way on August 28 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Kaur, who led India to a memorable ODI World Cup triumph last year, will hope to continue the momentum when they face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 5 in Dubai.
Last year, on the same ground, the Asia Cup men’s tournament was thrown into chaos after the Indian team refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players following the 2025 military stand-off between the two countries.
India went on to win the Men’s Asia Cup title in Dubai, beating Pakistan in the final, but the tournament was played under a cloud of controversy.
Now, the women’s teams of the two countries know the challenges they will face when they lock horns in Dubai.
And Kaur admitted that any match against Pakistan puts players from both teams under incredible pressure to deliver a positive result.
“No doubt it’s a high-pressure game and as a player you need to deal with multiple things,” Kaur told Sony Sports, referring to the political undercurrent in every India-Pakistan match.
“We keep playing international cricket, but the amount of pressure in an India v Pakistan match, that kind of pressure you don’t feel anywhere else.”
After the Men’s Asia Cup handshake controversy — shaking hands after the game is not mandatory by cricket rules, but a snub is against the spirit of cricket — even India’s women’s team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts at the 2026 T20 World Cup in a match India won by 64 runs.
Now, once the Asia Cup starts in Dubai on Friday, headlines across the cricket-mad South Asia could focus on whether the two teams will continue the unofficial no-handshake policy.
On the field, though, the Indian team is looking forward to reclaiming the Asia Cup title, having lost the 2024 final to Sri Lanka.
Kaur’s team have arrived in Dubai in impressive form after securing a historic Test win against England at Lord’s, the first-ever women’s Test match at the iconic venue.
“The last 4-5 years have been good, and where we have played good cricket, dominating cricket, have defeated big sides and won series also,” Kaur said.
“Now, we are coming after the win at Lord’s and have also won many games on the trot, so the team has already tasted success and will be hungry for more.”
Kaur said the team has built a winning culture after ending their World Cup drought last year with memorable wins over Australia in the semis and South Africa in the final.
“Everybody in the team talks about how to win a match. How to win tournaments. So when you have that kind of culture, you always feel motivated and you really look forward to going for any tournament,” Kaur said.
“So this tournament (Asia Cup) is very important and we will play as a team and once again will make our country proud.”
Apart from Pakistan, India will also play Thailand and Hong Kong in Group A.
Defending champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and hosts UAE will compete in Group B.
India will open their campaign against Thailand on Sunday, August 30.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals.
Kaur said the Asia Cup will be ideal preparation for the upcoming Asian Games (September 19-October 4) in Japan.
India will be hoping to win their second straight gold medal in women’s cricket, having won the tournament at the Asian Games three years ago.
“This is one such moment when you get your own medal and I think when it’s about the medals, the motivation increases even more. Day and night we keep thinking how we will feel after winning the medal and how we will celebrate,” she said.
“The last time we had played very dominating cricket and one-sided contests, so there will be expectations from us to play that kind of cricket again.
“I’m sure the country is looking forward to that one gold medal coming from cricket, so I know the pressure is going to be there, but at the same time, focussing on your job and how to achieve that job is more important.”
Source: Khaleej Times