India face Pakistan with an eye on final

kuala lumpur — Comfortably placed atop the points table, arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns in a virtual semifinal clash of the women’s Asia Cup at the Kinrara Academy Oval on Saturday.

With six points apiece, India and Pakistan occupy the top two spots in the table, with a superior net run rate separating the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side from the Pakistanis.

Aiming their seventh straight title, India will hope they can continue their all-round form and beat Pakistan before reaching the final.

The big win over Sri Lanka on Thursday will boost the confidence of Harmanpreet’s side, especially after the shocking loss to Bangladesh.

Pakistan, on the other end, will hope to pick up a win over the tournament favourites, even as they try to overcome the humiliation at the hands of the Bangladeshi women.

Going into Saturday’s clash, it will be yet again a test between the Indian batswomen and the Pakistani bowlers.

Besides skipper Harmanpreet, India’s batting will revolve mainly around the likes of vice captain Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy and Pooja Vastrakar.

The bowling department will be spearheaded by veteran Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey even as the spin trio of Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Poonam Yadav are expected to contribute in the middle overs.

Pakistan will expect skipper and star all-rounder Bismah Maroof to deliver the goods along with the likes of Sana Mir, Nida Dar, Muneeba Ali and Nahida Khan. —