Alongside the tag of defending gold medallists, India’s current form and overall might in the continent make them the overwhelming favourites against Bangladesh on Sunday when the two sides meet in the Asian Games women’s cricket semi-final in Nisshin.
Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates are fresh from winning the Asia Cup, where Bangladesh were one of the teams they had beaten comprehensively. The women’s last T20I defeat came in June against Australia in the T20 World Cup, with the side on a six-match win streak.
Not that they have played outstanding cricket in all of those six games, and it is also a fact the teams India played against barely put up any form of resistance.
With due respect to the other Asian teams, in women’s cricket, India have shown they are miles ahead.
Before Sunday’s semi-final, India broke little sweat to defeat hosts Japan by eight wickets with as many as 15 overs to spare, chasing a paltry target. Bangladesh, on the other hand, advanced to the semi-final based on their higher ICC ranking after their quarter-final against China was washed out due to a
wet outfield.
Against Bangladesh, all that India need to do is get their basics right and avoid unforced errors as much as possible. In the recently concluded Asia Cup, along with a few concerns in the middle-order, India’s catching appeared a little below par in a
few games. That’s something skipper Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar must have discussed in the team meetings.
Batting-wise, India need the in-form Shafali Verma to continue with her impactful game in the Powerplay and set the tone for the rest of the batters. How India’s top order fares will be key to the outcome of this semi-final clash.
In bowling, India don’t have many reasons to worry as senior pro Deepti Sharma and the consistent Shree Charani are providing them with wickets at regular intervals.
In the other semi-final of the day, Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka, also at the Korogi Athletic Park.