India women and Pakistan women will clash on June 14 in Birmingham in Women's T20 WC 2026.
Indian women boast a dominant record against Pakistani women in T20Is, winning 13 of the 16 games. Two out of those three wins for Pakistan came in T20 World Cups. Meanwhile, India has beaten Pakistan six times in the 20-over showpiece.
Rodrigues talked about the India-Pakistan rivalry and the pressure of the same, and recalled the advice the team received before her first meeting against Pakistan.
"I remember when I played my first India-Pakistan game. In the dressing room, Harman Di actually spoke to us, saying, 'Let's not deny it. There is pressure from the outside because we know the history of India versus Pakistan. We know what the fans expect.
Even my building watchman says, 'Lose to anyone, but not against Pakistan.' That is the kind of pressure because people love cricket. They love this rivalry,” Rodrigues told JioStar, as quoted by IANS.
Rodrigues stated that the Indian team is committed to capturing its first Women's T20 World Cup victory despite the anticipation and pressure surrounding the match. She disclosed that the team's routine now heavily relies on visualization.
"Lifting that trophy! This morning, we visualized it. We do that as a team. It's part of our usual process, where we sit together and visualize because we believe that if you see something long enough, you start moving in that direction.
That is the theme of our team. We did it during the 2025 World Cup. Amol sir has made it a point for us to do it here as well, and we'll continue doing that,” Rodrigues stated.
Rodrigues said India has worked on handling pressure by creating challenging situations during practice sessions and learning from their recent defeats.