Sylhet: The Indian team has had an easy journey so far in the Women’s Asia Cup and is expected to register another emphatic win against a weak Thailand team in the first semi-final here on Thursday. is The Indian team will want to enter the final by winning this match.
- Thailand entered the semi-finals for the first time after Bangladesh’s final league match against UAE was washed out by rain.
- The Thailand team, which lost badly against India in the league match, will be hoping for a better performance from their batsmen in the semi-finals.
The last match between these two teams was very one-sided with India bowling out Thailand for just 37 runs in 15.1 overs and then winning easily by 9 wickets. The Thailand team will want to do better with the bat than the previous match against India. Hosts and defending champions Bangladesh got just one point after their final match against UAE was washed out by rain, leaving them with just five points from two wins as Thailand entered the semi-finals for the first time with six points from three wins.
Narumol Chaivai’s side will be hoping to prove that qualifying for the tournament is no fluke. India have got a great chance to test their bench strength through this tournament and the less experienced players in the team have got ample playing time ahead of the T20 World Cup in South Africa next year. Under this strategy, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played only three out of six league matches and was batted at number seven in India’s only loss against Pakistan. The second semi-final will also be played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Thursday itself.