Women’s Asia Cup: India Look to Fine-Tune T20 Approach Against Pakistan
Dubai — With a semifinal berth in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup already secured, seven-time champion India will look to sharpen its T20 approach when it faces Pakistan in its final Group A match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
India enters the rivalry clash as the favorite, though questions remain over its middle-order batting after some uneven performances on Dubai’s slower pitches.
Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have been in strong form. Mandhana scored 124 against Hong Kong China, while Verma made 64 against Thailand.
Mandhana also reached several milestones Thursday, surpassing former India captain Mithali Raj for the most runs in international women’s cricket. She registered her 18th international century and moved ahead of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt for the most hundreds across formats in the women’s game.
India will also take confidence from Mandhana’s recent record against Pakistan, including a match-winning half-century in their T20 World Cup meeting at Edgbaston earlier this year.
In the bowling department, Nandani Sharma and Kranti Gaud have provided important breakthroughs, while experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma has continued to take wickets regularly.
Pakistan, meanwhile, remains in contention for a semifinal place after opening its campaign with a win over Thailand.
Batting, however, remains a concern. Pakistan slipped to 25 for three in the powerplay against Thailand before recovering to post 119 and successfully defending the total.
The team continues to rely heavily on wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali and captain Fatima Sana to provide stability and momentum. Pakistan will need a stronger batting performance to challenge an Indian side that has looked more settled throughout the tournament.
India and Pakistan matches continue to attract significant attention because the teams generally meet only in multinational competitions.
The match begins Saturday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. IST at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Sony Sports Ten 1 SD and HD will broadcast the match in India, with streaming available on Sony LIV.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Pratika Rawal.
Pakistan squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Sadaf Shamas, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar. (Source: IANS)
