Defending champions India are poised to extend their dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup, aiming for a record-extending eighth title as they face a spirited Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday.
India has been unstoppable in this continental showpiece, crushing Pakistan by seven wickets, followed by facile victories over UAE (78 runs), Nepal (82 runs), and Bangladesh (10 wickets). Their top-order batters and bowlers have fired in unison, leaving their opponents with no chance to mount a fight.
Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have amassed over 100 runs each at a healthy strike rate of over 140, providing India with solidity and quick starts. However, the management may be even more pleased with the bowlers’ response to the challenge, particularly Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh.
Deepti is the leading wicket-taker of the event with nine scalps, while Renuka is third on the chart with seven. Their economy rate across four matches has been brilliant – 4.37 and 4.31 respectively. This has ensured that the opposition batters have no breathing space at the top or in the middle-overs, phases when Renuka and Deepti often operate.
It has also aided other bowlers, as batters often look for relief shots against them. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav is a prime example, having taken six wickets at an economy of 5.5, feeding on the success of her senior colleagues.
While there is no palpable worry in the Indian camp, they may be slightly concerned about the lack of batting time for skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues. Harmanpreet has batted just twice in three matches, despite making a riveting 66 in one of them, while Rodrigues is yet to hit top gear in three innings. The think tank will hope that these experienced campaigners can find their range if the situation demands it.
“They might not have got that much time in the middle, but everyone is working hard at nets, and I am sure they will fire when the time comes,” wicketkeeper batter Richa Ghosh had said.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka is also undefeated in this event and has scored the biggest victory in terms of runs – a 144-run toweling of Malaysia in the group stage. The primary reason behind their supremacy is the fine form of skipper Chamari Athapathuthu, the leading run-scorer here with 243 runs.
However, there is a bleaker side to it. Apart from Athapathuthu, none of their batters have scored over 100 runs, with Rushmi Gunarathne a distant second with 91 runs. Their bowling too offers a similar story. Except for off-spinner Kavisha Dilhari (7 wickets, economy 5.35), other Lankan bowlers have failed to make an impact as yet.
In that context, the Islanders will require a quick all-round improvement against a settled India to have a smidgeon of chance even to stretch them.
