Team India Reaches Sri Lanka For Women’s Asia Cup Title Defence
Team India landed in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, gearing up for the Women’s Asia Cup, set to commence on Friday. As the defending champions, India aims to secure a record-extending eighth title, beginning their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Dambulla.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video showcasing the team’s journey from Chennai to Dambulla. The video highlighted team members such as Jemimah Rodrigues, Shefali Varma, Renuka Singh, Shreyanka Patil, and skipper Har Manpreet Kaur, capturing the camaraderie and fun they experienced during the flight.
The 15-match tournament will feature full-member teams from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, alongside Malaysia, the UAE, Thailand, and Nepal. Group A includes Pakistan, India, Nepal, and the UAE, while Group B comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for July 26, with the final set to be played on July 28 in Dambulla.
India’s recent performance has been impressive, including a 3-0 ODI series win against South Africa and a drawn T20I series. Earlier, they enjoyed a successful tour of Bangladesh, winning the T20I series 5-0. Additionally, despite a mixed outcome against Australia, where they won a one-off Test but lost the ODI and T20I series, India has shown remarkable form.
These series have been crucial in India’s preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, set to take place from October 3-20 in Bangladesh. India is determined to clinch their first major ICC women’s trophy.
The squad for the Women’s Asia Cup includes:
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, and Sajana Sajeevan. Traveling reserves are Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, and Meghna Singh.
As the tournament kicks off, all eyes will be on Team India, hoping to witness another historic triumph.
