Why Do India vs Pakistan Feel Different? Harmanpreet Kaur Answers

Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on India-Pakistan rivalry [Source: AFP]

Ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, India Women captain Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on the intense pressure related to the infamous Indo-Pak rivalry. She explained why the India-Pakistan match feels different on the field.

India-Pakistan rivalry in cricket is one of the most watched competitions globally. Every encounter attracts millions of viewers, while players face immense expectations from supporters on both sides. 

Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on India vs Pakistan clash

India Women is set to face Pakistan Women in the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2026. The high-intensity clash will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 5.

Ahead of the game, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that the pressure of an India-Pakistan game is something one doesn't feel anywhere else.

Despite playing regular international cricket, Kaur feels the Indo-Pak rivalry brings a different kind of pressure that is hard to explain and only to be felt.

"No doubt it’s a high-pressure game and as a player you need to deal with multiple things. We keep playing international cricket but the amount of pressure in an IND vs PAK match, that kind of pressure you don’t feel anywhere else. In fact you might play many big matches but you don’t feel that kind of pressure,” Kaur told Sony Sports. 

But at the same time, rather than allowing the magnitude of the occasion to overwhelm the team, Harmanpreet Kaur wants the players to concentrate on their cricket and execute their plans. 

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Harmanpreet warns against complacency

Meanwhile, India’s recent success in international cricket has created a different kind of pressure heading into the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. But Harmanpreet Kaur says the biggest challenge is to tackle the pressure of the ‘good team’ tag.

“I think the biggest challenge is when you have the ‘good team’ tag , playing for those expectations is in itself a very big challenge because we know we dominate Asian cricket and it’s very important to play every match with that domination."

At the same time, Harmanpreet warned against complacency. Even though India will enter the tournament as one of the favourites, they cannot afford to underestimate any opponent. 

“And along with that, we cannot take any team lightly and I am sure the other teams will also be preparing very strongly for this tournament because this is not lesser than any World Cup."

Is India-Pakistan rivalry justified in modern era?

Having said that, the hype of India-Pakistan rivalry isn’t clearly a competitive rivalry. In WT20Is so far, the women in blue have won 14 out of the 17 games while Pakistan managed to claim victory in just 3 games.

Clearly, the competition is just one-sided. Pakistan Women have repeatedly struggled to match the standards set by India Women in international cricket. Still, fans like to watch the Indo-Pak game due to the conflicted history attached to it.

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