Asia Cup Women: Semi Finals 1
Stadium: Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka
26th July, 2024
India and Bangladesh will lock horns in the first Semi Finals of Asia Cup Women at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka on 26th July 2024. India has a 100% record in this competition so far. Who will win this game of cricket?
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The different opening combination that India had tried out in the previous game against Nepal had clicked. Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana opted for Dayalan Hemalatha to open the batting with Shafali Verma. The fact that this combination may not be tried out in the upcoming knockout game against Sri Lanka, but Dayalan's performance has certainly sealed her spot at No 3, thereby making India's top order more formidable with the in-form Shafali Verma.
India thrashed Bangladesh 5-0 in the recent T20I series and more notably, knocked them over for just 51 in the semis of Asian Games 2023. Key bowlers to watch out for in India would be Renuka Singh, Deepti Sharma, and Pooja Vastrakar, while Vastrakar and Radha Yadav singlehandedly tore apart Bangladesh in their last two meetings.
Though the Bangladesh batting features some quality bowlers, India has a strong depth of batting experience that would give them the edge in the match. The likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, and Jemimah Rodrigues come in at the middle order to make India a formidable opponent on the strength of their batting.
India Predicted Lineup
Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur Singh, Tanuja Kanwar
Bangladesh form
Bangladesh Women, who have found a bit of form in recent times, do make it through to the semis. They still have a lot of work to do to become a challenge for India, however. Nigar Sultana batted brilliantly in her last knock, scoring 62 runs off 37 balls quickly, that will be long remembered for doing much-needed fuelling into the morale of her side. Murshida Khatun and Dilara Akter were the other contributors as they put up a total of 191 in a recent game versus Malaysia.
It is pertinent to mention here that Malaysia had struggled too much in the last game against Sri Lanka, conceding 184 runs. This was the only game where Bangladesh had a top-scorer with a strike rate of more than 100; thus, much leaves to be improved in batting. This win against Malaysia would increase their confidence, but it does not at all hint at their overall capabilities.
Captain Sultana has much reliance on their many bowling attack, with Nahida Akter being a prime wicket-taker to be wary of. Other players such as Ritu Moni and Rumana Ahmed could also contribute ball in hand.
Bangladesh Predicted Lineup
Dilara Akter, Murshida Khatun, Ishma Tanjim, Ritu Moni, Rumana Ahmed, Nigar Sultana (c & wk), Rabeya Khan, Shorna Akter, Jahanara Alam, Nahida Akter, Sabikun Nahar
India vs Bangladesh Expert Tips & Prediction
In the head-to-head, the Indian Women are definitely the stronger side against the opponents. They have a more skillful and experienced squad with better recent performance, thus being clear favorites to win the upcoming semi-final match. Our prediction is India Women will win.