In a largely monotonous and Sri Lankan-dominated captains’ joint-press conference in Dambulla, one line from India skipper stood out. When asked about her expectations as seven-time champions of the Women’s Asia Cup, Harmanpreet said: “The challenge will be to keep doing the right things we have done throughout the history of this tournament. We want to keep playing our style of cricket, enjoy the games, and keep dominating the other teams…”
There was no sense of over-confidence in her statement, though. It just pointed to the fact that the Women’s Asia Cup has been India’s domain. In the 8 editions of the tournament so far, the only time they didn’t win was in 2018 when they lost a thriller against Bangladesh in the final. The last time the tournament was played in Bangladesh, India’s ride to the title was largely smooth… except for a rare blip in this format against Pakistan.
That is the clash that will kickstart their title defence on Friday. The age-old India-Pakistan rivalry is not quite the same in the women’s game. Fewer matches, a slightly bigger gulf in quality. But the last two times they met, the matches were hard-fought. An all-round Nida Dar show powered Pakistan to a win in Sylhet in the last edition of the tournament, while Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh bailed India out of trouble at the T20 World Cup in Cape Town last year.
Of course, the upcoming T20 World Cup will be the focus again for the premier sides at this event, but Harmanpreet made it a point to say that the Asia Cup is not just a dress rehearsal. It is a tournament they want to win. Again.
Dambulla: India Women captain Harmanpreet Kaur speaks during a press conference ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament, in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (PTI Photo)
India come into the tournament on the back of a 1-1 tied T20I series in Chennai against South Africa, where they were pushed by the 2023 World Cup finalists. There were positives aplenty, but a few chinks were also exposed that Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar must address.
Renuka’s form
While she produced a peach to dismiss South Africa’s star batter Laura Wolvaardt in Bengaluru during the recent ODIs, India’s premier pacer in the shorter format hasn’t exactly been in rich form in recent times. Whether rested or dropped, Renuka Singh Thakur missed India’s final T20I against the Proteas. It was more evident that Pooja Vastrakar had perhaps taken over as the lead pacer, when she starred with a four-wicket haul. Renuka, despite her issues in the WPL over two seasons, has frequently delivered in India’s blues especially with her ability to move the ball back into batters in the powerplay.
But a hint of predictability has crept into her bowling (while she doesn’t add much heft on the field or with the bat) that might make India look more at Arundhati Reddy. The makeup of the spin attack is also debate-worthy with Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana evidently vying for a spot to accompany Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav.
The No 3 spot in the batting lineup has also become a musical chairs situation for India in recent times. In what seemed to be a spot that Rodrigues had started to own, Yastika Bhatia got one opportunity in Bangladesh then D Hemalatha made a mark in the remainder of the series, before being left out after the first T20I against South Africa. It is a key position in the order and one to keep an eye on as India finalise their squad for the World Cup.
The biggest positive for India going into the tournament, without a doubt, is Smriti Mandhana’s purple patch. She scored two centuries and a 90 against South Africa in ODIs, a fine ton in the Test, a 46 and 54* in the T20Is. Her record in slow and low Asian conditions have been a point of concern in the past, a stat that she somewhat corrected with a glorious match-winning half-century in the last Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.
All things said, India start as favourites again but the gap among Asian teams in the women’s game has been reducing significantly in recent times. Before the World Cup, Harmanpreet’s side would look to avoid any slip-ups while seeking to fit their final pieces of the squad jigsaw.
India’s squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan
Travelling reserves: Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghna Singh
India’s fixtures in the group stage:
vs Pakistan: July 19, 7 pm IST
vs UAE: July 21, 2 pm IST
vs Nepal: July 23, 7 pm IST
