Seven-time champions India will look to Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma to deliver once again when they take on a resilient Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday. With 168 runs including two fifties, Shafali has not only been India’s best batter but also the leading run-scorer in this iteration of the continental event, going about her task unfazed by the slow and spin-friendly nature of the wickets here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Even with the bat, the senior Indian all-rounder has been a key presence. With the parsimonious Shree Charani in the mix and Prema Rawat also finding her rhythm, Deepti leads the all-important spin attack which has played a dominant role in several matches of this tournament. Athapaththu’s side has displayed the same determination that their skipper has shown throughout her chequered career, with the most recent example being their perseverance to secure a win over Pakistan against the odds in the semifinal.
Deepti, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker alongside Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu with 11 wickets each, has been at the forefront of India’s bowling attack. Her six-ball 13 against Bangladesh in the semifinal was instrumental in pushing the total close to the 150-mark. India will be wary of the gritty Sri Lanka side which had handed them a crushing eight-wicket defeat in the last edition’s final in 2024 While both teams have wind in their sails having gone undefeated so far in their march to the final. With most of the players from the 2024 final finding themselves in the summit clash once again, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team would be determined to give no quarter, but there are some major concerns to address as well.
