Richa Ghosh scored 68 off 36 balls in a warm-up match, signaling a crucial comeback before the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Richa Ghosh’s return to form has been the talking point ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, with the wicketkeeper-batter delivering a match-winning 68 off 36 deliveries in Wednesday’s warm-up against England.
The innings came after a run of poor form, with Ghosh managing just 18 runs across three innings against England in the lead-up to the tournament.
During the recent five-match series in South Africa in April, Ghosh accumulated 85 runs at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 157.40, yet India still lost the series 4-1.
Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s captain, emphasized the importance of Ghosh regaining her confidence, calling her a key player and game-changer for the side.
Speaking ahead of India's tournament opener against Pakistan, Harmanpreet said that the team had been eagerly awaiting Ghosh's return to confidence.
"We were waiting for Richa to get that confidence back," Harmanpreet remarked.
"She's a key player, a game-changer for us, and we are all very happy that now she's back in form and confident again. She's looking really well after that game, even in the nets. One good innings always gives you a lot of confidence, and we have seen that the moment she got those runs she looks like a completely different player in the nets… I think that her rough phase is gone."
Harmanpreet also reflected on how the team has grown through recent challenges, having spent considerable time training in English conditions.
She stressed the need for flexibility and adaptability in strategies, noting that these lessons could prove crucial during the tournament.
"You can't just go with a fixed plan; you have to be very flexible with a lot of things, I think that is the key point we have learned so far and hopefully will use in this major tournament," she explained.
"I personally feel that when things are always going well, sometimes you don't know which areas you need to improve in as a team, but when you lose, you learn a lot. That's what the last one-and-half-months has shown, lots of things, lots of scope for improvement. That's what we have been discussing in team meetings and trying to apply ourselves on the field -- how we can do better in that area, how to improve ourselves and bring that onto the field. And I think those losses have given a lot of learning and hopefully we'll use that experience for this tournament."
Pakistan received a minor scare when their captain Fatima Sana was struck on the knee by a ball hit back at her during a net session by teammate Ayesha Zafar.
However, Fatima reassured that her injury was not serious and expressed confidence in her readiness for Sunday's match.
"I think it is good now," she said. "We all are ready and we know what the conditions are because we are here since almost two weeks because we played the series against Ireland as well in Ireland. We just need to execute better plans and we need to be more calm."
Pakistan has been focusing on an aggressive batting strategy aimed at dominating bowlers and applying pressure throughout all phases of the innings.
Captain Fatima Sana highlighted the team's intent to play attacking cricket regardless of the match situation.
"We've seen in T20 a dominating scene is going on, so the attempt is that the more you dominate the bowlers the easier it will be," she noted.
"The effort for all batters is to play attacking, no matter if it is the start, middle overs or end because the more aggressively you play the more the opposing team goes under pressure."
She also acknowledged the role of head coach Wahab Riaz in preparing the batters, adding that his experience has been invaluable.
"Where pace is needed, he himself also bowls to try to increase pace. When you work with an ex‑cricketer there is a lot of game awareness shared and it is going quite well."
Pakistan has beaten India only three times in their 16 T20 International meetings, with the last victory coming at the 2022 Asia Cup.
Fatima stressed the importance of executing plans effectively in high-pressure games, downplaying the hype surrounding the upcoming clash.
"The game is hyped already, so we just want to play a normal game and the execution is very important at that match, we will try to execute better plans," she said.
Harmanpreet echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the pressure but emphasizing the team's focus on enjoying the experience.
I won't say there's no pressure - there is pressure. Since I started watching cricket, as a supporter I have felt that pressure, and now that we play it's even more. But at the same time we always say that the more we enjoy this game the better it is for us, because we are the lucky ones who are picked for this big occasion and we just want to enjoy ourselves on the field.
More than anything, it is another game we are going to play tomorrow and we just want to play our best cricket.