India and Pakistan will clash on September 5 in Dubai in upcoming Women's Asia Cup 2026.
The 2026 Women’s Asia Cup will be hosted by the UAE from August 28 to September 13, 2026. India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were direct entrants in the tournament, while Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand qualified from the ACC Women’s Premier Cup, and the UAE made it as the hosts.
India has been placed in Group A with Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Thailand, while Group B sees Bangladesh, Indonesia, the UAE, and Sri Lanka. India will open its tournament on August 30 against Thailand in Dubai. They will then face Hong Kong on September 3 and Pakistan on September 5.
The final of the tournament will be played on September 13 in Dubai.
India's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, is certain that her team can overcome these obstacles ahead of these significant competitions. India is coming off a T20I and ODI series win in England and also defeated England in the first-ever Test at Lord’s.
"The last 4-5 years have been good, and when we have played good cricket, dominating cricket, we have defeated big sides and won series also. Of course, we expect to win. Our team has been playing very good cricket.
Now, we are coming after the win at Lord's and have also won many games on the trot, so the team has already tasted success and will be hungry for more," Harmanpreet told Sony Sports.
Although historically the best squad in Asia, India has recently faced an increasingly difficult situation. In 2024, Chamari Athapaththu's Sri Lanka surprised Kaur's squad to win the Asia Cup. Kaur felt sure that India was prepared to win the title again.
"Everybody in the team talks about how to win a match. How to win tournaments. So, when you have that kind of culture, you always feel motivated, and you really look forward to going for any tournament. So, this tournament (Asia Cup) is very important, and we will play as a team and once again will make our country proud,” Kaur added.
India will be facing Pakistan in the group stage and possibly further in the tournament as well. Harmanpreet Kaur talked about the pressure of an India v. Pakistan game and expects a high-octane face-off.
"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 India v. Pakistan match—that kind of pressure you don't feel anywhere else,” she added.
In Hangzhou, the Indian women's cricket team made their Asian Games debut and took home the gold. Harmanpreet was driven to win a medal by pursuing a repeat.
"This is one such moment when you get your own medal, and I think when it's about the medals, the motivation increases even more. Day and night we keep thinking how we will feel after winning the medal and how we will celebrate," she added.
Harmanpreet recognized that the team was aware of the challenge ahead of them, reflecting the pressure and expectations from the Asian Games.
"The last time we had played very dominant cricket and one-sided contests, so there will be expectations from us to play that kind of cricket again. I'm sure the country is looking forward to that one gold medal coming from cricket, so I know the pressure is going to be there, but at the same time focusing on your job and how to achieve that job is more important,” Harmanpreet said.
(Sony Sports inputs)