India won the toss and chose to bat against Pakistan at Edgbaston, and the match opened with a sharp, unmistakable moment: Shafali Verma launched Sadia Iqbal’s first ball for six over long off. In a contest that had already drawn attention because the captains did not shake hands, India signaled immediately that it wanted the bat in hand first.
The Women’s T20 World Cup fixture began at 2.30pm BST in front of an official sellout at Edgbaston, turning India vs Pakistan into the sort of day that carried weight before a ball was bowled. India’s XI included Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, while Pakistan answered with Muneeba Ali, Aliya Riaz and Fatima Sana, the two captains at the center of the moment that set the tone.
Harmanpreet Kaur had tried to lower the temperature before the match, saying India were there for cricket and talking only about cricket, treating this as just another game. But the toss told a different story: Kaur and Fatima Sana did not shake hands, leaving the rivalry to speak for itself even as the day was framed as a cricket match first.
That split between words and gesture mattered because this was not a routine group fixture. The matchup sat inside Group 1, came with a political backdrop, and arrived after the corresponding men’s meeting earlier in the year had already been surrounded by noise on and off the field. India still made the clearest early statement on the day by choosing to bat on what was described as a decent batting track, with the plan to set a sizeable target.
The first over backed up the intent. After Shafali’s opening blow, India were 7-1, with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues at the crease as the innings settled. For all the attention on the missing handshake, the match now belongs to the cricket India said it wanted to play, and the next question is whether the batting first choice produces the total that justifies it.
India Vs Pakistan: India choose to bat after toss at Edgbaston
