NEW DELHI: India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has opened up about the unique pressure surrounding an India-Pakistan clash ahead of the two teams’ opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Birmingham on Sunday. She said the rivalry carries expectations unlike any other game and recalled the advice the team received before her first meeting against Pakistan.“I remember when I played my first India-Pakistan game. In the dressing room, Harman di actually spoke to us, saying, ‘Let’s not deny it. There is pressure from the outside because we know the history of India versus Pakistan. We know what the fans expect,'” Rodrigues told JoiStar, as quoted by news agency IANS.“Even my building watchman says, ‘Lose to anyone, but not against Pakistan.’ That is the kind of pressure because people love cricket. They love this rivalry.”Despite the excitement and pressure surrounding the contest, Rodrigues said the Indian team is focused on winning its first Women’s T20 World Cup title. She revealed that visualisation has become an important part of the team’s routine.“Lifting that trophy! This morning, we visualised it. We do that as a team. It’s part of our usual process, where we sit together and visualise because we believe that if you see something long enough, you start moving in that direction,” she said.“That is the theme of our team. We did it during the 2025 World Cup. Amol sir has made it a point for us to do it here as well, and we’ll continue doing that.”Rodrigues said India have worked on handling pressure by creating challenging situations during practice sessions and learning from their recent defeats. Head coach Amol Muzumdar also urged the team not to focus too much on individual opponents, saying composure would be crucial in the shortest format of the game.
