Contenders India started their Women’s T20 Asia Cup title defence on a rousing note, demolishing arch-foes Pakistan by seven wickets in Dambulla on Friday. India bundled out Pakistan for a below-par 108 after being asked to bowl and then chased down the target with as many as 35 balls remaining. Chasing 109, Indian openers Shafali Verma (40) and Smriti Mandhana (45) was at their best as they toyed with the Pakistani attack from the word go. It was an aggressive display of batting from both the Indian openers as they mostly dealt in fours and sixes.

The duo of Mandhana and Shafali hit two fours and a six off Tuba Hassan to collect 15 runs in the sixth over.

The seventh over bowled by Hassan yielded 21 runs with Mandhana hitting the bowler for five boundaries.

Pakistan finally tasted success in the 10th over in the form of Mandhana who was caught by Aliya Riaz at mid-wicket off the bowling of Syeda Aroob Shah.

Shafali departed in the 12th over, but by then, she and Mandhana had already done the damage.

Dayalan Hemalatha (14) didn’t last long, caught by Hassan off Nashra Sandhu.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then ensured a comfortable win for the title holders.

Earlier, India dished out a fine effort led by experienced off-spinner Deepti Sharma (3/20).

India, after being asked to bowl first, tasted their first success in the second over itself when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) dismissed Gull Feroza, caught by skipper Harmanpreet at mid-on.

Vastrakar struck again, dismissing the other Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali with a short-pitched delivery, caught by Rodrigues at cover, reducing Pakistan to 26 for 2 after the fourth over.

The Indians didn’t allow Pakistani batters to settle down as off-spinner Shyreyanka Patil (2/14) packed off Riaz, caught by Rodrigues at mid-wicket.

The Pakistani batters struggled to score runs, let alone build partnerships as Indian bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals to derail their opponents.

The next to depart was Pakistan skipper Nida Dar who holed out to Hemalatha at long-on off the bowling of Deepti as the batter went for her customary heave over the straight boundary.

It was raining wickets for India as pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) struck twice in the last two deliveries of her spell.

Renuka first accounted for Sidra Amin (25) and then trapped Iram Javed leg before in the next ball to reduce Pakistan to 61 for 6 in 13 overs.

Thereafter Tuba Hassan (22) and Fatima Sana (22 not out) stitched together a valuable 31-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan forward.

But their partnership came to an end in the 18th over when Hassan was caught by Radha Yadav at backward point off Deepti.

The 18th over bowled by Deepti saw three dismissals — Hassan, Syeda Aroob Shah and Nashra Sandhu.

While Hassan and Sandhu fell to Deepti, Shah was run out, denying the India spinner a hat-trick.

Sana hammered left-arm spinner Radha for two sixes in the 19th over to take Pakistan over the 100-run mark.

The first day of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup on July 19 will see the big clash between India and Pakistan at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. India come in as the defending champions and have won the tournament seven times.

They also have an 11-3 lead over Pakistan in women’s T20I meetings. On the other hand, Pakistan enter the event after an inconsistent run of results in their bilateral commitments but have the confidence to upstage India, as they did in the 2022 edition of the tournament at Sylhet in Bangladesh.

We look at the players to watch out for in the upcoming big clash between India and Pakistan, which will be streamed live on Disney Hotstar for eager fans in India:

1. Smriti Mandhana

The India vice-captain comes into the tournament on the back of a scintillating performance across formats in the recent home series against South Africa. Scores of 117, 136 and 90 in India’s 3-0 ODI sweep at Bengaluru fetched her Player of the Series Award. It was followed by the left-handed opener making 149 in the lone Test and scores of 46 and 54 not out in the two T20Is at Chennai. With Shafali Verma in good form too, expect Smriti to bat for long and take India to a winning position.

2. Renuka Singh Thakur

The fast-bowler, who won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year Award in 2022, is tipped to lead the Indian fast-bowling challenge in the Asia Cup. Her excellent performance of 3-18 in the T20I series opener against Bangladesh, along with her previous excellent performances against Australia and England, is still very much fresh in the minds of fans.

3. Deepti Sharma

The off-spin all-rounder boasts of a staggering achievement -– the first Indian woman to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in women’s T20Is. Her ability to control the run flow and deceive batters with flight, turn, and loop will be a major challenge for Pakistan’s middle order. The last time India won the Asia Cup, Deepti had bagged the Player of the Series Award for picking 13 scalps, the most by any bowler in the competition. Deepti’s left-handed batting adds another weapon to her arsenal, making her a truly valuable player in the Indian line-up.

4. Shreyanka Patil

The young all-rounder from Bengaluru is an off-spinner and can maintain tight lines, which also her become the WPL 2024 leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps. Having quickly risen through the domestic ranks, Patil’s potential to pick up crucial wickets, along with her handy batting and fielding skills, makes her a complete package to watch in this high-stakes game.

5. Nida Dar

The Pakistan skipper brings experience and versatility to the bowling attack through her crafty off-spin bowling. This year, Nida became the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is during Pakistan’s second game against England in Northampton. Her sharp off-spin deliveries and power-hitting abilities make her a true all-rounder for Pakistan, something that India has experienced in the past during their last Asia Cup meeting in Sylhet.

6. Sidra Amin

The right-handed batter has been on a good run with the bat this year — she has 205 runs from eight innings for T20Is in Pakistan this year. She and Muneeba Ali have been the lynchpins of Pakistan’s batting order and a lot depends on them when they face a strong Indian bowling line-up.

7. Omaima Sohail

The right-handed top-order batter, who also bowls off-spin, last played for Pakistan on their tour of New Zealand and is now back in the national team for the Asia Cup, where she would be itching to make a big statement against India, after going through the grind in domestic tournaments.

8. Syeda Aroob Shah

The leg-spin all-rounder came back into the national set-up for the first time since Pakistan’s series against South Africa last year. Aroob made her international debut in 2019 as a 15-year-old, quickly garnering attention for her skill and composure on the field. With an ability to deceive batters and provide crucial breakthroughs, she can come in handy if Pakistan field her on Friday against India.