🏏ICC Women's T20I WC 2024: Group A: M 19- PakW vs NZW, Page 70🏏 - Page 29

Hello and welcome to game 12 of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, in Dubai. It's India vs Sri Lanka. The last time these two sides met in July in Dambulla, Sri Lanka aced a record chase to clinch their first Women's Asia Cup title. However, in the ongoing World Cup, Sri Lanka are currently bottom of the Group A points table, and are yet to win a game. A defeat today will make their chances of advancing to semi-final almost impossible. India, meanwhile, managed to overcome Pakistan albeit in a sluggish chase, after losing their opener to New Zealand. India will be looking to exact revenge for their Asia Cup loss but they also need a big win to bolster their NRR.

A repeat of the Asia Cup final awaits us tonight in the Women's World Cup, as Sri Lanka take on India. Harmanpreet Kaur's side overcame their opening day loss to New Zealand by brushing aside Pakistan in their next game, and would look to build on that momentum now. Sri Lanka are bottom of the group with two big defeats against Pakistan and Australia in their World Cup campaign so far. Qualifying further already looks a bit tricky for them, but Chamari Athapaththu's side would hope to spoil the party for a few others and prove they are a better team than the points table suggests. We're not too far away from the toss in this all important women's World Cup game. Stick around...

Good news for India: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had retired hurt after spraining her neck on Sunday, is available for today's game. But we will have to wait a it to know whether she will be playing at the top or in the middle order. The chatter surrounding India's No. 3 slot took another twist - Smriti Mandhana, India's vice-captain, said on the eve that the batter will be chosen based on the conditions and match situation. Harmanpreet batted at No. 3 in both the warm-ups as well as in the opening game against New Zealand. Against Pakistan, Jemimah Rodrigues came in at one-down in a chase of 106. Harmanpreet was slotted in at No. 4. Of the players in the squad, Yastika Bhatia and D Hemalatha are other options for the spot.

So, what has gone wrong for Sri Lanka? Their top three needs to stay longer and stitch partnerships. In both the losses, none of their batters got to 30-mark and struggled to adapt to the conditions. This included the big-hitting Chamari Athapaththu, who was dismissed for single digits in both games. In the bowling department, Udeshika Prabodhani and Sugandika Kumari have been among wickets and will be expected to play crucial roles today as well.

Sujatha : "Couldn't get any straightforward than this for the Indian girls. They can't afford to move at a snail's pace. They have to step on the gas from the word go. "

How can India make it to the semi-finals? Shiva Jayaraman tells us here: "The easiest path to the semi-final for India will be to win both their remaining games and hope both New Zealand and Pakistan lose at least one of their two remaining matches. India can also go through with six points if Australia lose both their remaining matches (against India and Pakistan). In that event, only one other team between New Zealand and Pakistan can make it to six points. Sri Lanka can only get to a maximum of four points with no wins from two games yet."

This will also be Sri Lanka's first game in Dubai in the tournament. On Tuesday, Athapaththu said they have to play their best cricket. "We have to adapt; that is the most important thing. I saw Nat Sciver-Brunt, how she played [against South Africa] and even Laura [Wolvaardt] and South African batters. So, we can't blame anyone. Actually, I ask same question to myself: why can't I play? I have to answer it myself how I can play in the next game. As a batter I love that challenge. I challenge myself and I want to play my best cricket in the next two games."

Too bad BD and India are not in the same group in ICC Women's world cup. Otherwise it would have been historic to watch Men's and Women's matches between the same nations happening at the same time.

Cheers..

India Women have won the toss and have opted to bat

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Sajeevan Sajana, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

Harmanpreet Kaur: We gonna bat first, so far we haven't batted first so thought we will have a bat and put a decent total on the board. Feeling better (talking about her neck injury), if we play better cricket maybe I will feel more better. Asia Cup we played good cricket, one odd day (talking about the final where India lose to Sri Lanka) they played good cricket. We are going with the same eleven we played in the same game.

India Women have won the toss and have opted to bat/

India Women have won the toss and have opted to bat.