India women will take on Sri Lanka in what will be a mouthwatering clash in the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup. Both sides have remained unbeaten in the tournament so far, while also topping their respective groups in the first phase of the tournament. While Harmanpreet Kaur and co. have been on fire so far in the tournament, the hosts have managed to put up an equally dominating performance, with skipper Chamari Athapaththu leading from the front.
How India and Sri Lanka size up against each other?
India head into the tie against Sri Lanka possessing a better head to head record. In 19 occasions that the two sides have met so far, India have won 14 times while Sri Lanka has only managed four wins. However, that might be insignificant when it comes to the Women’s Asia Cup final, given the form that both sides are in at the moment.
India’s batting powerhouse ft. Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana continues to exert her dominance in the shortest format of the game and will pose a great threat to Sri Lanka. The Indian opener 435 T20I runs with an average of 43.50 this year, making her the highest run-getter for India and the third-highest overall. She has only 113 runs to her name in this tournament so far. However, known to be a big-match player, Mandhana is likely to save her best for the last.
The Shafali Varma menace
Shafali Varma has been in prolific form in the ongoing tournament and is just behind the Sri Lanka skipper on the list of batters with most runs. The swashbuckling opener has 184 runs from just 4 games, averaging 61.33. The duo if Varma and Mandhana will attempt to give India the right start by taking on an aggressive approach against a confident Sri Lanka.
Can India’s bowlers deliver when it matters the most?
The Indian bowlers have been tremendous so far in the tournament, with contributions coming in from all quarters. Deepti Sharma, the leading wicket taker of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024, has nine wickets to her name. Renuka Singh and Radha Yadav are not far behind, with 7 and 6 scalps to their names respectively. The consistency has made the task much more easier for skipper Kaur, providing the side the much-needed balance it needs.
The Chamari Athapaththu threat
Chamari Athapaththu looks like she is in the form of her life at the moment and India should be very scared of the Sri Lankan skipper. She has been the standout performer for the team in the Asia Cup, with 243 runs to her name in just 4 games. She is all set to play the final despite an injury scare during the semi-final clash against Pakistan.
Road to the final
India’s road to the Women’s Asia Cup final was very smooth, with the team staying unbeaten all along. India hardly had any formidable team to deal with in the group stage and hence waltzed their way into the final after brushing past Bangladesh in the semi-final.
Hosts Sri Lanka have been dominating, on the other hand. Playing in front of the home crowd, the team has continued to pull off its brilliance, carrying on their good run from 2023. Sri Lanka, like India, topped the group in the first stage of the tournament following which they beat Pakistan to set up a final clash with India.
Predicted IND-W XI
Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Uma Chetry, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Renuka Singh
Predicted SL-W XI
Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (C), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Anushka Sanjeewani (WK), Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya
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