Australia is to World Cups like India is to Asia Cups. Their place in the championship match is virtually guaranteed, even though they have never taken it for granted. The competition is essentially to see who can disrupt the norm with the least amount of resistance. As expected, India has advanced to the ninth consecutive final and will start as clear favourites in Sunday’s summit match. But for the eighth time in nine attempts, a determined Sri Lanka stands in their way of regaining the subcontinental bragging rights.
India easily defeated every opponent on their way to the championship, barely encountering any difficulties along the way. Whether it was the two competitors from the Qualifying competition, who had little chance in the 200+ and 180-run chases, or the more seasoned rivals from Bangladesh and Pakistan, who were both thoroughly defeated in run-chases of inferior quality.
India’s current form is highlighted by the fact that they defeated Bangladesh, the only team in Asia Cup T20 history to whom Harmanpreet and co. have lost a final, by a margin of 10 wickets in the semifinal.
With D Hemalatha backed at number three on a regular basis, and even given the chance to open against Nepal instead of Smriti Mandhana, India’s batting unit has been stable and is scoring runs. Deepti Sharma, the competition’s top wicket-taker, has guided the bowling attack, which has run like well-oiled machinery.
The game time Shafali Verma and Renuka Thakur required to regain their form has been one of India’s greatest gains in this tournament; both have won Player of the Match to signal their comeback. Tanuja Kanwer, a left-arm spinner, entered the tournament late but has already shown that India is ready for the World Cup, which is two months away. She has played three games with economical spells. The starting lineup is clicking, and the bench has presented management with a plenty of happy problems.
Chamari Athapaththu would scarcely want her team to concentrate on that. The only other team to win all of their games en route to the championship was the host Sri Lanka, and they have plenty of momentum going forward as they attempt to challenge India’s hegemony.
Like their recent ascent at the top level, Sri Lanka’s success in the competition has been largely attributed to their skipper, a prolific run-scorer. Three Player of the Match honours, including the semifinal, have gone to Athapaththu in Sri Lanka’s four games. On the other hand, her surrounds have seen an increase in contributions.
When the captain went down early in their tournament opener against Bangladesh, other openers Vishmi Gunaratne (51) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33) stepped up. Additionally, Gunaratne contributed to their 10-wicket victory over Thailand.
Following Athapaththu’s dismissal for 63 in the semi-final, Sri Lanka needed to score 21 runs in 20 deliveries. Fortunately, the lower-middle order came through, winning the penultimate ball by three wickets and sending Pakistan packing.
The wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani has now produced two quick contributions in two very different situations. In the first, the captain had set up a strong foundation; in the second, with the last slot up for grabs, the captain needed someone to relieve pressure at the other end.
The spin unit, which is being led by Kavisha Dilhari, the joint third-highest wicket-taker in the competition, is gradually getting into a groove and will rely on the home ground to restrain the rapidly improving Indian batting.
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The same teams’ matchup in the previous edition’s final proved to be a one-sided disaster. Sri Lanka would be keen to make sure it doesn’t happen again, if only to become the second side to challenge India’s dominance in the subcontinent. They will have a receptive home crowd this time.
India
