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India’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign got off to a rocky start as they lost to New Zealand by a big margin of 58 runs. In their second group stage match, India will go up against arch-rivals Pakistan whom they have beaten five out of seven times in the history of the tournament. However, former India captain Anjum Chopra feels that this time Harmanpreet Kaur’s brigade will be under immense pressure as it is a must-win encounter for them.
"Harmanpreet alone is not under pressure. Harman, as a player and captain, has been in such scenarios and situations before. I don't think she will be under pressure, but the players in the team who have not performed to their abilities or underperformed in the last game must be feeling the pressure and must be thinking about how they can turn things around," Anjum told TOI.
"Everyone will be thinking in their respective corners about how they can perform better and put India's campaign back on track. Everyone in the team needs to pitch in aggressively, sharpen their skills, and be ready for the next game against Pakistan," the former skipper added.
What India need to do in order to make comeback
While Anjum criticised the team for their loss against New Zealand, she wants the team to move on from it as it is a tough group and the players need to believe in themselves in order to make a comeback.
“In tournaments like the World Cup, especially when you are in a tough group, there is a lot of pressure. In the process, you win some and you lose some. We knew that the group was tough. Every single team in the World Cup is competitive. You just need to believe in yourself and use your cards—your players —wisely. Yes, India can make a comeback," said the 47-year-old.
"They need to forget what happened against New Zealand and come all guns blazing in their remaining matches. They need to ensure they beat every single team now to enter the knockouts and remain in the contest. If New Zealand had lost their first match, they would have been under pressure. Similarly, India are under immense pressure after losing their opening game to New Zealand. The pressure will be on India. At the end of the day, it's the World Cup; the pressure has to be there. It's not like you come into the tournament and just take the trophy home," she further added.
India don’t just need a win against Pakistan but a big one. Their net run rate (NRR) took a serious hit (-2.900) after loss to New Zealand.
