When India lost to Pakistan on October 7 in the Women’s Asia Cup, it was seen as an upset!
Those who don’t follow women’s cricket might ask, “How?” Well, the Indian women’s cricket team has played 42 matches in the Asia Cup and won 39 of them! Yes, you heard it right: only three defeats in 42 games!
Lessons learnt
The fact that Pakistan had lost to Thailand just a day before, made it appear more shocking! But as they say, “A defeat only teaches you lessons!”.
India bounced back strongly. On Thursday, October 13, they crushed Thailand by 74 runs to make it to the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup!
Not to forget, India won silver in the Commonwealth Games women's cricket competition earlier this year! They almost trounced Australia in the finals, making a statement to world cricket that they are here to rule.
It was despite veteran Mithali Raj, who led India across formats for a long time, having announced retirement in June. Many thought her departure will leave a void in the team but the way the Women in Blue have played, her absence wasn’t felt to a long extent.
The team looks sorted with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur leading from the front. The swashbuckling opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana have been in some form, contributing in almost every match. In the bowling department, Deepti Sharma & Co are leading the ship.
Major title awaits
A place in the Women’s Asia Cup final means India would yet again have an opportunity to lift a major title. They haven’t had good outings in finals recently but they have looked extremely good after that Pakistan defeat. Their spirits are high, now the only thing they need to make sure of is to not lose nerves when it matters the most.
Whether they face Sri Lanka or Pakistan — the two semi-finalists — the plan needs to be simple: go out and play to your potential. The final is on October 15, so make sure you don’t miss out on it as Indian women are set to conquer the world (yet again).
