'India will be too strong' - Nasser Hussain previews India vs Pakistan clash at 2026 Women's T20 World Cup

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has claimed that India come into their game against Pakistan as firm favourites at the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. The two arch-rivals are set to go head-to-head on Sunday, June 14, at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Hussain talks about the gulf in class between the two teams ahead of their game on Sunday. The former player-turned-expert believes that India's recent rise, which includes their win at the Women's World Cup on home soil in 2025, has made this rivalry a one-sided affair. Pakistan, however, are not completely out of the contest and will be heavily reliant on their captain, Fatima Sana, to come good should they hold any chance of toppling their neighbouring country.

“There is obviously a great rivalry across any sport between India and Pakistan, but recently, in men's and women's cricket, it has not been particularly close, especially in ICC events. The rivalry has not yet kicked off to the extent of the men's game, but it is still India vs Pakistan, and it is a format that can cause upsets. So, India will be confident but obviously wary that it only takes Fatima Sana to have a good day and they could be in trouble. But I think India will be too strong. The way Indian women's cricket has grown, with the 50-over World Cup win and the WPL, compared to Pakistan cricket, where their players don't play in all the franchise tournaments around the world, India have jumped at least a level or two, if not more," Nasser Hussain said during JioStar Media Day.

India holds an extremely strong head-to-head record against Pakistan in the shortest format of the game. In 16 encounters, the Women in Blue have won 13 times, with their rivals securing just three victories. During the last T20 World Cup, India secured a convincing six-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai, after restricting them to just 105 in the first innings, thanks to Arundhati Reddy's three-wicket haul.

Hussain firmly believes that opening batter Smriti Mandhana will finally return to form and perform to her best potential against Pakistan on Sunday. The left-handed batter is renowned for raising her game on big occasions, and no occasion is bigger facing the Women in Green. The former captain also talks highly of Shafali Verma and her ability to score quickly at the top of the order.

"They're not surprise packages, but both Deepti and Smriti Mandhana have had quiet periods for a little while now. So, it's not a surprise. But come Sunday, I think Smriti Mandhana will absolutely raise her level. If you ask Pakistan who they would be most worried about at the top of the order, it is Smriti Mandhana. She'll go hard at Pakistan. She may need to rein it in a little," Hussain said.

"With Shafali, they dovetail pretty well. Shafali is the one who really goes hard, and Smriti sits in her slipstream a little bit. If Shafali can get them off to a flyer, that just means Smriti can settle in for a little longer. If she bats 20 overs, she will either have a hundred or be pretty close to one," he added.

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Top 10 biggest match-winners

It is worth mentioning that India are heading into the Women's T20 World Cup in underwhelming form. They recently suffered a 2-1 series defeat at the hands of England weeks before the start of the showpiece tournament. The 2025 50-over champions also lost heavily against South Africa, falling to a 4-1 defeat.