India eye record-extending eighth title win in Women’s T20 Asia Cup final against gritty Sri Lanka
DUBAI: Seven-time champions India will look to Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma to deliver once again when they take on a resilient Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final here on Sunday.
With 168 runs including two fifties, Shafali has not only been India’s best batter but also the leading run-scorer in this iteration of the continental event, going about her task unfazed by the slow and spin-friendly nature of the wickets here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.Even as Smriti Mandhana (154) has blown hot and cold for having struck a brilliant century but also two single-digit scores, Shafali has been able to maintain consistency with the bat.
More importantly, Shafali has relatively executed her strokes with ease in games where others around her have struggled.Even with the bat, the senior Indian all-rounder has been a key presence.
Her six-ball 13 against Bangladesh in the semifinal was instrumental in pushing the total close to the 150-mark.
With the parsimonious Shree Charani in the mix and Prema Rawat also finding her rhythm, Deepti leads the all-important spin attack which has played a dominant role in several matches of this tournament
Deepti, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker alongside Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu with 11 wickets each, has been at the forefront of India’s bowling attack.Athapaththu’s side has displayed the same determination that their skipper has shown throughout her chequered career, with the most recent example being their perseverance to secure a win over Pakistan against the odds in the semifinal.
Being reduced to 5/2 inside the first two overs and slipping further to 33/4 in the seventh, Sri Lanka did not give up the chase of 131.Two years ago in Dambulla, it was Harshitha who had teamed up with Athapaththu to defy India in the final, with both the Sri Lankan batters hitting half-centuries in a tall run chase.
With most of the players from the 2024 final finding themselves in the summit clash once again, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team would be determined to give no quarter, but there are some major concerns to address as well.Fielding still remains a major concern with India dropping four catches in the semifinal against a lowly Bangladesh, with two of them being spilled by Pratika Rawal.
Earlier, against Pakistan, India dropped three catches while restricting their arch-rivals to their lowest-ever T20I total.
Even against Thailand in their tournament opener, India had spilled two catches, which puts the number of dropped chances to an overall nine in four matches so far.Fielding still remains a major concern with India dropping four catches in the semifinal against a lowly Bangladesh, with two of them being spilled by Pratika Rawal.
Earlier, against Pakistan, India dropped three catches while restricting their arch-rivals to their lowest-ever T20I total.
Even against Thailand in their tournament opener, India had spilled two catches, which puts the number of dropped chances to an overall nine in four matches so far.