Harmanpreet Kaur Leads India Vs Pakistan Toss, Bats First at Edgbaston
India vs Pakistan began with Harmanpreet Kaur winning the toss and choosing to bat at Edgbaston in the Women’s T20 World Cup. The captains did not shake hands, and the match started at 2.30pm BST in front of a sellout crowd that was heavily split between India and Pakistan supporters.
Harmanpreet Kaur at Edgbaston
Kaur had the first say and sent India in to bat. She also made the tone clear before the first ball, saying, "We are here for cricket and we only talk about cricket. Except for cricket we don’t talk anything and I don’t even think we know anything except cricket. Cricket has been our dream from day one and we only discuss cricket and for tomorrow’s game we are only thinking about it as another game which we are going to play."
That choice put Pakistan in the field at a ground where the crowd noise leaned toward both sides from the start. Fatima Sana stood as Pakistan’s captain at the toss, and the lack of a handshake framed the opening moments without changing the task in front of either XI.
Shafali Verma Seizes The Start
India’s opening charge came immediately. Shafali Verma hit the first ball of the match for six off Sadia Iqbal, then later in the over edged through to the keeper. By the end of the first over, India were 7-1.
Jemimah Rodrigues walked in after Verma’s dismissal, with India still building from the start they had set themselves. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur were also in the XI, giving India a top order built for scoring quickly after choosing to bat first.
Pakistan XI At Edgbaston
Pakistan’s XI included Muneeba Ali, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar and Fatima Sana. That left Sana to lead the side into a fixture played in a hotly contested Group 1, with the attention on the toss and the first over before the match had settled into its middle overs.
For readers following the fixture live, the immediate takeaway was simple: India had the opening decision, the early momentum, and the pressure of turning a 7-1 start into a full innings. Pakistan, meanwhile, had already seen the first ball go for six and had work to do after losing the opening over’s control.
