Dubai: India and Sri Lanka will face each other in the T20 Asia Cup final here today, starting at 8.00 pm, with the batters from both sides expected to leave no stone unturned to prove their superiority. However, the bigger factor could be the spin attack. India have world-class spinners in Deepti Sharma, Shree Charani and Prema Rawat, while Sri Lanka will have to rely on the spin duo of Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari to push them towards victory.
India, meanwhile, have plenty of firepower in their batting line-up. Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur and Pratika Rawal, along with Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh, have the ability to power India to their eighth Asia Cup title.
Chamari Athapaththu Also a Potent Spinner
Thirty-six-year-old Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu is herself a very effective off-spinner. She and 17-year-old Chamudi Praboda claimed two wickets each in Friday’s semi-final against Pakistan. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by four wickets in that semi-final to book their place in the final.
Dubai Pitch Could Favour Spinners
The Dubai pitch generally offers greater assistance to spinners. The tournament has also largely been a low-scoring affair, with totals of 150-plus recorded in only two matches throughout the competition.
Deepti and Athapaththu Lead the Wicket Charts
In this Asia Cup, both Deepti Sharma and Chamari Athapaththu have taken 11 wickets each.
On the other hand, India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has scored 633 runs in the history of the T20 Asia Cup, the most by any batter. Athapaththu is second on the list with 628 runs.
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