Women’s ODI World Cup: Can Pakistan overcome India in Colombo?
**Women’s ODI World Cup: Can Pakistan Overcome India in Colombo?**
*By Rajdeep Saha | Oct 04, 2025, 08:46 pm*
The highly anticipated ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 clash between India and Pakistan is set to take place on Sunday, October 5, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The last time these two teams met in an ODI World Cup, India secured a commanding victory by 107 runs. Pakistan, however, is eager to end its jinx against India in Women’s ODIs, having never beaten them in 11 matches overall.
### Match Preview: Batting Woes for Pakistan; India’s Top Order Yet to Fire
India has made a strong start to the tournament, with their lower-order batting proving crucial in their win against Sri Lanka. However, the team will be hoping for their top-order batters to deliver more consistent performances moving forward.
In contrast, Pakistan has struggled with its batting lineup. They were bowled out for just 129 runs by Bangladesh on Thursday. Despite the presence of in-form batters like Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali, Pakistan’s players have lacked consistency against the high-quality bowling attacks they have faced, especially from India.
### Key Players to Watch
India’s spin-bowling trio—Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and Shree Charani—has been in impressive form. Rana, in particular, was instrumental in India’s win over Sri Lanka, taking three wickets for 31 runs.
Pakistan will be hoping Sidra Amin regains her rhythm after a stellar performance against South Africa earlier this month. Although Pakistan was dismissed cheaply against Bangladesh, Amin remains the backbone of their batting lineup this year.
### Weather Forecast: A Potential Game-Changer
The northeast monsoon has arrived in Colombo, bringing day-long rains to the city that could impact the match. On Saturday, the encounter between Sri Lanka and Australia was abandoned due to rain.
In their previous match, both Pakistan’s and Bangladesh’s seamers enjoyed movement in the air and off the surface owing to the wet conditions. It remains to be seen how the pitch and weather conditions will shape up following the heavy rainfall on Saturday.
### Probable Playing XIs
**India:**
Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (w), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani.
**Pakistan:**
Muneeba Ali, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (w), Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (c), Rameen Shamim, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal.
### Stats Spotlight: Decoding the Key Numbers
– Smriti Mandhana has amassed 4,896 runs in 109 WODI matches at an average of 47.53, including 13 centuries and 32 fifties.
– Jemimah Rodrigues is just 43 runs shy of reaching 1,500 runs for India in WODIs.
– Harleen Deol has scored 929 runs and is 71 runs short of the 1,000-run milestone.
– Deepti Sharma boasts 143 wickets from 113 matches at an average of 28.19.
– Pakistan captain Fatima Sana recently completed her 50th WODI match and has accumulated 615 runs from 42 innings.
As the rivalry continues, the upcoming clash between India and Pakistan promises to be a thrilling contest, where Pakistan aims to rewrite history and India looks to maintain its dominance. All eyes will be on Colombo this Sunday to see which team prevails.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/india-and-pakistan-clash-in-women-s-odi-world-cup/story
