India women lock horns against arch-rivals Pakistan to kick off their Asia Cup 2024 campaign in Dambulla. The seven-time Asian champions will be looking to put a strong foot forward heading into the 10-day tournament in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan skipper Nida Dar won the toss and decided that her team would be batting first. "We will bat first, looks like a dry wicket. We have practiced and trained a lot in Karachi and we are well-prepared for this contest. It is a great opportunity ahead of the T20 World Cup. We have a good combination and bowlers and batters and hoping for a good game," Dar said at the toss.
"For us anything was okay because the conditions are gonna be the same for the 40 overs. Every game is important for us and we want to get into rhythm from the first game. We have made 3 changes from the last T20I we played against South Africa," India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said at the toss.
The Women in Blue have made three changes to their Playing XI from their previous match against South Africa for the clash against Pakistan. Richa Ghosh, who suffered a concussion during the first T20I against South Africa, has made a return to the squad in place of young keeper Uma Chetry. Top-order batter Dayalan Hemalatha, who played in only the first T20I of the series against the Proteas, also returns, while speedster Renuka Thakur also makes her way back into the team.
The ones to make way for the trio are Arundhati Reddy, Uma Chetry and Sajeevan Sajana. Notably, Pakistan skipper Nida Dar is playing in her 150th T20I game, making her the first from her nation to do so.
India and Pakistan Playing XIs:
India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Thakur Singh
Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Sidra Ameen, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali(w), Nida Dar(c), Aliya Riaz, Iram Javed, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hassan, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Syeda Aroob Shah
