India have already secured their place in the semifinals after winning both of their opening matches, while Pakistan still need another victory to strengthen their qualification chances from Group A. Pakistan allrounder Ayesha Zafar has attempted to play down the enormous attention surrounding Saturday’s India Pakistan clash at the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, insisting that her side is treating the encounter like any other fixture despite the rivalry between the two teams. The two sides are scheduled to meet at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 5.
Ayesha’s comments come with India already through to the last four, meaning the result does not carry the same qualification significance for the Harmanpreet Kaur led side. Pakistan, however, still have Hong Kong to face after the India fixture and need one more win to put themselves in a strong position for the semifinals. Ayesha acknowledged that Pakistan cannot afford to concentrate on only one area of their game against a strong Indian side. The team has instead worked across batting, bowling and fielding in preparation for the contest. Mohsin Naqvi Encourages Pakistan Team Ayesha also disclosed the message delivered by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi when he met the team ahead of the high profile encounter. Pakistan’s preparations have included studying the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses, as they look to cope with the pressure surrounding one of cricket’s most closely followed rivalries. Pakistan’s official squad for the Asia Cup includes Ayesha Zafar, with Fatima Sana leading the side. The squad also includes Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Pratika Rawal.
The 31-year-old has represented Pakistan in 85 internationals and said the team has also done its homework on India. The PCB has confirmed that Pakistan’s remaining Group A fixtures are against India on September 5 and Hong Kong on September 7, with the semifinals scheduled for September 10 and 11 and the final on September 13 India’s squad is led by Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana serving as vice captain.
