India have received seven of the 9 Girls’s Asia Cup editions performed up to now, throughout ODI and T20I codecs, making them probably the most profitable workforce within the historical past of the event.Given the historic dominance of the Indian workforce within the event, former India cricketer and ex-women’s workforce coach WV Raman believes something lower than a title within the upcoming 2026 Girls’s Asia Cup could be a “main disappointment” for Harmanpreet Kaur‘s workforce.“Pakistan and Sri Lanka will likely be robust competitors for India, and let’s not additionally low cost Thailand, as a result of they’ve proven a number of enthusiasm, they’ve proven they have some actual good expertise there, and you can’t take them evenly, too. So far as the Indian workforce is anxious, I believe something lower than a victory will likely be seen as a significant disappointment,” Raman stated in an unique interview with TimesofIndia.com, organised by Sony Sports activities Community.India misplaced the 2024 Girls’s Asia Cup ultimate to Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka by eight wickets in Dambulla, and Raman stated “India can regain the Asia Cup” in Dubai.Nonetheless, the street forward isn’t as easy for India because it appears. India have been lacking two of their pace-bowling all-rounders, Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam, for over 5 months, and simply earlier than the Asia Cup they confronted one other setback as Jemimah Rodrigues was additionally dominated out of the event attributable to a hamstring harm.
Pratika Rawal is within the facet, however the place ought to she bat?
Pratika Rawal has obtained her maiden India T20I call-up as Jemimah was dominated out of the event, and is anticipated to stroll straight into the enjoying XI when India face Thailand on Sunday. Nonetheless, the larger query is the place the right-handed batter suits into India’s batting order.“Pratika Rawal has carried out extraordinarily properly in Check cricket. She’s carried out properly in ODIs, however in T20s, we’ve not seen a lot of her up to now. And in addition the opposite factor that they should work out is her slot within the batting order. So the place does she bat is one thing they have to attempt to work out,” former girls’s workforce coach Raman stated.Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana will almost definitely not be separated as a gap pair, and Bharti Fulmali and Richa Ghosh may play the function of lower-order enforcers. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur bats at 4 when Jemimah performs at three in T20Is; nevertheless, Raman argued that Kaur ought to as a substitute bat at three within the Asia Cup.
“I doubt if they may have Pratika Rawal at quantity three. I’d relatively think about that Harmanpreet Kaur herself would possibly bat at quantity three as a result of she wants to spend so much of time there on the crease, have extra overs at her disposal to attempt to tempo the innings,” WV Raman stated in an interview with TimesofIndia.com, including, “Will India play Pratika at quantity 4 is one thing that will likely be a giant query. As I see it, they should clearly discover methods and strategies to make use of the 20 overs allotted to them in the most efficient method doable. So it is as much as them to attempt to see.”
Longer rope for Fulmali
Fulmali ended her seven-year exile from worldwide cricket earlier this 12 months when she was picked for the South Africa tour and was additionally retained for the T20 World Cup.Amongst all of the batters who’ve confronted at the least 100 balls within the Girls’s Premier League (WPL) since 2024, India’s Richa Ghosh (155.05) and Bharti Fulmali (149.76) are at quantity two and three by way of the strike charge, respectively.Nonetheless, India dropped Fulmali from the workforce after only one innings within the 2026 Girls’s T20 World Cup the place there marketing campaign ended within the group stage.The previous India cricketer stated that the Girls’s Asia Cup is the perfect event to present Fulmali constant probabilities.“If they’ve plans for Fulmali within the close to future or for the subsequent couple of years, to be an integral a part of the batting unit, then in all probability that is pretty much as good a chance as they will get to attempt to give her a number of probabilities and see how she fares,” WV Raman stated.“Fulmali has the status of being a giant hitter. She was picked up within the facet about six years in the past. Then once more, she was out within the wilderness. Then once more, she’s come again, after which she’s gone out, and she or he’s come again. I believe that is one thing that must be checked out very critically since you’re not doing anyone a favour by simply giving them one odd probability right here and there sporadically,” he added.The previous coach of the ladies’s workforce additionally emphasised that India ought to take a look at the Asia Cup as a event the place they start preparation for the 2028 Girls’s T20 World Cup after their unceremonious group-stage exit within the 2026 T20 World Cup.“They (India) can take a look at this Asia Cup as a platform from which they will begin planning for the subsequent T20 World Cup by way of planning, by way of understanding totally different mixtures, varied choices. In order that will likely be a great factor to do ranging from this Asia Cup, and despite the fact that you possibly can’t equate a terrific efficiency within the T20 World cup to a victory in Asia cup, in the event that they go on to win this Asia cup, as we expect them to, it’s going to present them some solace after in all probability the surprising early exit within the T20 World Cup,” WV Raman famous.Tune-In: Watch Girls’s Asia Cup 2026 dwell on Sony Sports activities Ten 1 SD & HD & Sony LIV.
