India will play fearless cricket at T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet before Pakistan clash

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has vowed to play fearless cricket as her side gears up for a blockbuster start to its ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.

In Short

• India placed in Group A with Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Netherlands
• Harmanpreet Kaur vows fearless cricket in Women's T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan
• Team management ensured all squad members got game time before the tournament started

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has promised a fearless approach as her side prepares to begin its ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.

With the warm-up matches done, the focus now shifts to the main event for Team India. Harmanpreet's side heads into the tournament after a mixed build-up, registering a convincing win over West Indies before suffering a narrow five-run defeat to hosts England in a last-over thriller. Despite the loss, the skipper believes the team has gained valuable confidence ahead of the tournament opener.

"These two practice games have given us a lot of confidence. And even today, even though we lost the game, Richa's batting was a big positive for us. That's a big belief that if we stay on the pitch, we can turn the game anytime," Harmanpreet said after the England warm-up match.

India came close to chasing down 172 against England thanks to a blistering 68 off 36 balls from Richa Ghosh. While Harmanpreet felt the team fell short because of a lack of partnerships during the chase, she was encouraged by the wicketkeeper-batter's form and ability to change the course of a game single-handedly.

"I think it's about partnerships and I think we missed them. Only Richa played a blinder. In T20 cricket, you need a few partnerships in the middle, which we missed today, but it's good to see how Richa batted," she said.

The India captain also revealed that the team management had used the warm-up fixtures to ensure every member of the squad got an opportunity before the tournament began.

"We wanted to give everyone a fair chance before the first game, and I think everybody got one," she added.

India have been placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands, with the clash against Pakistan expected to attract a packed crowd at Edgbaston. Harmanpreet said the team was relishing the prospect of starting its campaign in one of cricket's biggest rivalries.

"What a way to start it. Pakistan in Birmingham. That is going to be a sensational atmosphere. We are really looking forward to that," she said.

The skipper made it clear that India would look to play positive cricket from the outset.

"Hopefully, we'll play fearless cricket in our first game," Harmanpreet said.

India enter the tournament still searching for their maiden Women's T20 World Cup title. Their best performance came in 2020 when they reached the final before losing to Australia. The 2026 edition is the biggest Women's T20 World Cup in history, featuring 12 teams for the first time.

Hosts England qualified automatically, while India, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand secured direct qualification through the rankings. Bangladesh, Scotland, Ireland and tournament debutants Netherlands advanced through the global qualifiers.

A total of 33 matches will be played across seven venues in England. The semi-finals are scheduled for June 30 and July 2, while the final will be held at Lord's on July 5.

INDIA SQUAD FOR WOMEN'S T20 WORLD CUP: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandani Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav.

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