‘Losing to anyone but Pakistan’: Jemimah Rodrigues ahead of Women’s T20 World Cup opener between IND and PAK

Jemimah Rodrigues (PTI Photo/Sailendra Bhojak) NEW DELHI: India batsman Jemimah Rodrigues has spoken about the unique pressure surrounding the 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 ahead of their first encounter against Pakistan.“I remember when I played my first India-Pakistan match. In the dressing room, Harman di actually spoke to us and said, ‘Let’s not deny it. There is pressure from outside because we know India’s history against Pakistan. We know what the fans expect’,” Rodrigues told JoiStar as quoted by news agency IANS.“Even my building warden says, ‘Lose to anyone but not Pakistan.’ That’s the kind of pressure because people love cricket. They love this rivalry.”Despite the excitement and pressure surrounding the competition, Rodrigues said the Indian team is focused on winning its first Women’s T20 World Cup title. She revealed that visualization has become an important part of the team’s routine.“Lifting that trophy! We visualized it this morning. We do it as a team. It’s part of our normal process of sitting together and visualizing because we believe that if you see something long enough, you start moving in that direction,” she said.“That’s the theme of our team. We did it during the 2025 World Cup. Mr. Amol made sure we do it here and we will continue to do it.”Rodrigues said India worked on handling the 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 as consistency will be key in the shortest format of the game.

Is it a common feeling among cricket fans to lose to someone other than Pakistan?