Even my building warden says lose to anyone but Pakistan: Jemimah Rodrigues

Indian batsman Jemimah Rodrigues has spoken about the pressure of playing Pakistan ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup, saying the expectations surrounding the fixture cannot be ignored, no matter how experienced a player is.

India opened their campaign on June 14 against Pakistan in Birmingham, one of the marquee clashes of the group stage. Speaking to the TV station ahead of the match, Jemimah recalled her first India-Pakistan match and revealed how even the senior players in the dressing room recognized the weight of the occasion.

“I remember when I played my first India Pakistan match. Harman di actually spoke to us in the dressing room 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’,” Jemimah said.

Follow coverage of Women’s World Cup T20 in India: here

The India Batter added that the rivalry goes far beyond the cricket field and affects people from all walks of life.

“Even my building warden says, ‘Lose to anyone but not Pakistan.’ That’s kind of the pressure because people love cricket. They love this rivalry,” Jemimah said.

India and Pakistan have a historic rivalry, but in women’s cricket it is quite the opposite. India has made huge strides in women’s cricket, the likes of which Pakistan is yet to make.

INDIA IS PREPARING FOR PRESSURE SITUATIONS

Jemimah also spoke about India’s preparations for the tournament and said that the team had deliberately created difficult situations during practice to better equip them for pressure moments in matches.

“We prepare differently for every game. We’ve put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, whether it’s in training or on the pitch. We have a lot of sessions where we play out different scenarios. Everyone says you have to do well under pressure, but how do you do that? You do it by repeatedly putting yourself under pressure in training and making the situations as difficult as possible, so that when you go into the game you feel ready.”

“The preparation has been excellent. We’ve had great camps and this team looks really confident. We didn’t have a great series against South Africa, but sometimes defeat teaches you a lot more than winning. We’ve taken those lessons, worked on them and now we can’t wait to get out there and play some good cricket,” she added.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led India head into the tournament hoping to improve on their recent ICC outings and finally take the final step into the global event. Their campaign begins with a high-pressure clash against Pakistan in Birmingham on 14 June.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

14 Jun 2026 04:51 IST