New Delhi: After a victorious series against South Africa, India women will be all geared up to face arch-rivals Pakistan in the women’s Asia Cup clash on Friday, July 19. The women’s T20 extravaganza begins in a day in Dambulla, Sri Lanka and will see India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, UAE and Malaysia as the participants.
In the tournament opener, United Arab Emirates will face Nepal in the afternoon clash while Asian rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns in another clash in the evening. India enter the tournament as defending champions and the Women in Blue have won the tournament seven times. India also maintain a formidable lead of 11-3 over Pakistan in the T20Is.
Ahead of the much-awaited battle, we take a look at the top players to watch out for from both India and Pakistan.
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana, who is India’s vice-captain, enters the tournament on back of a fabulous performance across the formats in the recently-concluded series against South Africa. The star batter notched up scores of 117, 136 and 90 in India’s 3-0 ODI clean sweep over the Proteas. In the only Test match, she smashed a sensational century and two fine scores in the two T20Is. She is expected to be an asset for Team India in the clash and the entire tournament.
Renuka Singh Thakur
Renuka will lead India’s fast bowling contingent at the Asia Cup and in the fierce clash against Pakistan, she is expected to play a pivotal role. Her excellent performance of 3-18 in the T20I series opener against Bangladesh, along with her previous excellent performances against Australia and England, will be quite helpful for side.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti has always been an asset for the Indian team with her exceptional all-round abilities. Not only she fulfills her off-spin role to the fullest, she’s good with the bat as well. The first Indian woman to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in women’s T20Is, she poses a major threat to the Pakistani side with her impeccable approach. The all-rounder is truly a valuable player in the Indian set up.
Nida Dar
The highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, skipper Nida has all the experience and versatility in her kitty that can prove handful for the Women in Green. Her off-spin abilities which has helped her become one of the best in the business will be challenging for India on the Sri Lanka pitches. Not only is Nida a quality bowler, she also has the acute power-hitting abilities which turn her into a true all-rounder.
Sidra Amin
Sidra, who is a right-handed batter, has been experiencing a very good run with the bat recently. In this year, she has scored over 200 runs from eight innings in T20Is for Pakistan. A lot will depend on Sidra as she along with Muneeba Ali have been pillars of team’s batting order and a lot depends on them when they face a strong Indian bowling line-up.
Omaima Sohail
The top-order batter, who also tries her hand with the ball, is back in the Asia Cup squad for Pakistan. She last played on their tour of New Zealand and would be itching to make a big statement against India, after going through the grind in domestic tournaments.
Arch-rivals India women and Pakistan women will face-off in the women’s Asia Cup clash on Friday in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
