Pakistan Bats First Against India in Women's Asia Cup Opener

Pakistan Elects to Bat First Against India in Women's Asia Cup Opener

In the inaugural match of the 2024 Women's Asia Cup, Pakistan captain Nida Dar opted to bat first after winning the toss against India in Dambulla. The decision was influenced by the dry and used pitch, which had witnessed Nepal's victory over UAE earlier in the day.

India made three alterations to their lineup from their previous encounter with South Africa. Richa Ghosh returned as wicketkeeper after recovering from a concussion, while Renuka Singh and D Hemalatha replaced Arundhati Reddy and Sajeevan Sajana. The bowling attack featured three spinners (Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, and Shreyanka Patil) and two pacers (Pooja Vastrakar and Renuka).

Pakistan, on the other hand, fielded a spin-heavy side with Tuba Hassan, Sadia Iqbal, and Nashra Sandhu as frontline spinners. Syeda Aroob Shah and Dar provided additional spin options, while Fatima Sana and Aliya Riaz handled the fast bowling duties.

India holds a 5-1 advantage over Pakistan in Asia Cup matches, but Pakistan secured a victory in their last encounter in Sylhet in 2022.

India's Playing XI:

* Shafali Verma

* Smriti Mandhana

* D Hemalatha

* Harmanpreet Kaur (c)

* Jemimah Rodrigues

* Richa Ghosh (wk)

* Deepti Sharma

* Pooja Vastrakar

* Shreyanka Patil

* Radha Yadav

* Renuka Thakur Singh

Pakistan's Playing XI:

* Sidra Ameen

* Gull Feroza

* Muneeba Ali (wk)

* Nida Dar (c)

* Aliya Riaz

* Iram Javed

* Fatima Sana

* Tuba Hassan

* Sadia Iqbal

* Nashra Sandhu

* Syeda Aroob Shah

Tags: #WomensAsiaCup, #PakistanCricket, #IndiaCricket, #NidaDar, #HarmanpreetKaur