Key Points

The recently concluded Asia Cup was marred by controversies, with India and Pakistan at the centre of them. The handshake row, Pakistan's complaint against match referee Andy Pycroft, and the trophy being taken away from India after it won the final were some of the highlights of the drama that unfolded in Dubai.

The focus now shifts to women's cricket as Fatima, who replaced Nida Dar as captain last year, looks to engineer Pakistan's first win against India after 11 ODI defeats. On the eve of the highly anticipated fixture, Fatima revealed that they have closely monitored India's recent performances and have forged a plan to stage an upset.

"Absolutely. When we plan, we look at everything - the way they played in Australia, where the pitches were flat, and now the pitches here are different. So scenarios keep changing, but we analyse all of them and plan accordingly. We'll try to put our best players against them. They are good players, no doubt, but we will also try to make the best plans against them," Fatima said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

Pakistan began its campaign with a shambolic outing against Bangladesh in Colombo. They were outplayed across all facets of the game and surrendered to a 7-wicket defeat. On the other hand, India trounced Sri Lanka in a rain-affected fixture in Assam in the tournament opener to begin their campaign with flying colours.

"Definitely, firstly, if you see, we are like a family - we 20-22 people are like one family, so we are not at all focused on what's going on outside. Obviously, we know what's happening around us, but we try to stay focused only on the game, because the World Cup is an event every player waits for. We will try to keep our focus on the tournament and on what we have come here for," she added.

India has been deemed the hot favourite for the contest, considering their flawless record against their arch-rival. Faitma assured Pakistan remains undeterred despite the scoreline that exists between them and remains focused on trying their best to execute their plan.

"Firstly, whatever records exist between India and Pakistan are meant to be broken. It's not that Pakistan will never win against them. We believe in playing good cricket, no matter who the opponent is. So we won't think about past history; we'll focus only on the day we play. And yes, when you play against big teams, you make proper plans for each player. We'll try our best to execute those plans well and prepare effectively for every opponent," she said.

- ANI