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Former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar believes India will enter the Women's T20 World Cup clash against the arch-rivals Pakistan as clear favourites, with greater skill, depth and overall team strength.
Nayar feels Pakistan have talented players, but they lack consistency and depend heavily on a few key performers. Nayar also highlighted India's recent success, including the 50-over World Cup triumph last year and the impact of the Women's Premier League (WPL), saying the current Indian squad is better equipped mentally and technically to handle the pressure that comes with being the team to beat. Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team will take on Fatima Sana's Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday. "The pressure of winning is greater on Pakistan than on India. In women's cricket, India is far ahead in skill and team strength. India walks in as the favourites, and that is how everyone sees them. Pakistan have some talented players, but they lack the depth and consistency. Their batting relies heavily on a few individuals, and their bowling can be inconsistent under pressure. That is why India will have the advantage in that game," Nayar said. "It's been a long time since Australia entered a tournament without a trophy. India won the 50-over World Cup, so they come into this T20 World Cup as the team to beat. With the WPL experience, these players know how to handle pressure. There was a time when they couldn't. But now, this team is equipped with the talent and the mindset to handle that pressure and live up to the tag of being favourites," Nayar said on JioStar. Having ended their ICC trophy drought by lifting the ODI World Cup last year, India will look to build on that success at the T20 World Cup and finally turn a series of near-misses in recent editions into a title-winning campaign. The Women in Blue have qualified for the T20 World Cup semi-finals five times and have made it all the way to the final once, but have yet to win the title. (ANI)
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