Thailand have won the toss and elected to field first against India in their 2026 Women’s Asia Cup Group A fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, with top-order batter Pratika Rawal handed her T20I debut by the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side.
Pratika, already capped in ODIs and Tests, came into India’s squad for the continental event as Jemimah Rodrigues’ replacement for the Asia Cup, following the latter’s hamstring injury. India: Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud and Nandni Sharma Thailand: Natthakan Chantham, Nannapat Koncharoenkai (wk), Chanida Sutthiruang, Suleeporn Laomi, Onnicha Kamchomphu, Thipatcha Putthawong (captain), Phannita Maya, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, Sunida Chaturongrattana, Nannaphat Chaihan, and Naomi Hamilton. The match also marks off-spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma’s 150th T20I game, making her only the third Indian cricketer after Harmanpreet (202) and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (171) to achieve the milestone. Globally, Deepti becomes the 12th player in women’s cricket history to feature in 150 T20Is.
