BIRMINGHAM: Former England captain Nasser Hussain gave a candid assessment of the gap in development, depth and consistency between the India and Pakistan women’s teams at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Edgbaston on Sunday.
Speaking during the pre-match analysis, Hussain highlighted India’s rapid rise in women’s cricket, backed by recent global success and the impact of a strong domestic franchise system.
He countered this with Pakistan’s relatively limited exposure in leading franchise tournaments around the world.
“I think India will be very strong. The way Indian women’s cricket has developed with the 50-over World Cup win and the WPL, compared to Pakistan cricket, their players who haven’t played in all the franchises around the world, India has progressed at least one or two levels, if not,” Hussain said.
He also hinted at what he believes is a major area of concern for India, suggesting that their bowling mix may come under scrutiny during internal team discussions as they prepare for high-pressure encounters.
“Their (India) formula with the ball is worrying. If you ask me what happens in the team meetings, they think more about the combination with the ball,” he said.
Turning his attention to Pakistan’s approach against elite opposition, the former batsman stressed the importance of purpose, clarity and a fearless mindset when facing top teams like India, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
He stressed that competing at this level requires more than just matching technical skills, insisting that Pakistan must up their overall game plan and avoid overly cautious cricket.
“To beat India and to beat teams like England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, you (Pakistan) have to play above your level. They can’t play fearless cricket. They have to play fearless cricket and put India under a bit of pressure,” he said.
Assessing India’s opening line-up ahead of the match, the 58-year-old highlighted the challenge Pakistan’s bowling attack could face against an aggressive top-order pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma.
He noted the contrasting styles of the two, with Shafali providing the initial attacking intent while Mandana anchors the innings with controlled aggression.
“Come Sunday, I think Smriti Mandana will raise her status completely. If you ask Pakistan who they are most worried about at the top of the order, it will be Smriti Mandana. Along with Shafali, they get on very well. Shafali is a very hard-goer and Smriti sits a bit in his slipstream,” he revealed.
Historically, India have won 13 of the 16 T20 Internationals between the two teams, with Pakistan winning three.