(PTI Photo)
The Women’s Asia Cup is poised to kick off with a bang as defending champions India face off against traditional rivals Pakistan in a highly anticipated evening clash this Friday. This tournament serves as a crucial platform for the eight participating teams to fine-tune their strategies ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in October.
Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India enters the tournament as the team to beat, boasting an impressive track record. They have dominated the Asia Cup, clinching the T20 version three times out of four and winning every edition in the 50-over format. India’s supremacy in the Women’s Asia Cup T20 is evident with an outstanding record of 17 wins in 20 matches, including a victory over Bangladesh in the 2022 final.
In the shorter format, India has maintained a strong hold over Pakistan, winning 11 out of 14 encounters. Kaur’s team will look to capitalize on this advantage, backed by their recent good form, especially after their recent series against South Africa, where they showed resilience despite weather interruptions.
India’s batting strength, particularly Smriti Mandhana’s current form, adds depth to their lineup, while their bowling attack has shown significant improvement, led by the impressive performances of pacers like Pooja Vastrakar and the spin trio of Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Sajeevan Sajana, and Shreyanka Patil.
On the other hand, Pakistan, led by Nida Dar, enters the tournament with a revamped squad following their disappointing series against England. They will aim to regroup and find their rhythm as they face the formidable challenge posed by India and other competitive teams in the Asia Cup.
Among the additions to the squad, including the uncapped Tasmia Rubab, are three players— Iram Javed, Omaima Sohail, and Syeda Aroob Shah— who have yet to feature in any matches this year. Conversely, six players have been omitted from the squad.
Nepal, UAE look to make their mark
Also competing in Group A are Nepal and the United Arab Emirates, who will kick off proceedings earlier in the day at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
The top two teams from this group will advance to the semifinals.
Nepal is making a return to the competition after a hiatus since 2016, whereas UAE is gearing up for their second consecutive appearance, buoyed by a strong record this year with more than half of their matches ending in victory.
Nepal faces a challenge due to their limited recent game-time, last competing in mid-February with a loss to Malaysia in the Asian Cricket Council’s Women’s Premier Cup.
Meanwhile, UAE’s most recent outing was in May, where they lost in the T20 World Cup Qualifier semifinals to Sri Lanka.
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana.
Pakistan: Nida Dar (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan.
Match starts at 7pm (IST)
