Dubai, September 3: The Indian women’s is set to face Hong Kong, China in the seventh match of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. This exciting encounter is taking place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Hong Kong’s captain, Natasha Miles, won the toss and opted to have India bat first.
After winning the toss, Miles stated, “We will bowl first. The conditions are good, and we are not entirely confident about our batting unit. We aim to restrict them to under 150 runs. Our team has made two changes, and I am back in the playing eleven. Playing against India is thrilling, and we eagerly look forward to returning for the Asia Cup in the future.”
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her thoughts after losing the toss, saying, “We also wanted to bat first in these conditions. We don’t have a specific score in mind; we just want to play according to our strengths. The pitch is tricky, and we are unsure how it will play. Hong Kong has been performing well, and this is a great opportunity for us to gain momentum.”
India’s performance in the tournament’s opening match was impressive. Under Harmanpreet’s leadership, the team defeated Thailand by 94 runs. Shafali Verma showcased her form with a powerful innings of 64 runs off just 36 balls. However, other batsmen struggled to find their rhythm.
In bowling, Deepti Sharma and Nandini Sharma excelled, claiming a total of six wickets. Deepti took three wickets without conceding a run in her 1.1-over spell. Shree Charani and Kranti Gaud also looked in good form. On the other hand, Hong Kong faced a narrow defeat against Thailand in their first match, losing by six runs. Marina Lamplo delivered a stellar bowling performance, taking four wickets for just 11 runs. Alison Siu also managed to take three wickets. However, Yasmin Daswani and Kari Chan showed some promise with the bat, but the team could only score 114 runs while chasing a target of 121, losing seven wickets in the process.
India’s Playing Eleven: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandini Sharma, Shree Charani, and Kranti Gaud.
Hong Kong’s Playing Eleven: Natasha Miles (Captain), Mariyam Bibi, Mariko Hill, Joilyn Kaur, Marina Lamplo, Yasmin Daswani (Wicketkeeper), Shanjeen Shahzad, Kari Chan, Ruchita Venkatesh, Ikra Sahar, and Alison Siu.