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Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the first semifinal of the women's Asia Cup on Friday at Dambulla.
Both sides have had different journeys to the semifinal, which is being played at Dambulla. While India ended Group A undefeated with wins over arch-rivals Pakistan, Nepal and UAE, Bangladesh finished at the second spot in Group B with two wins over minnows Thailand and Malaysia, while they lost to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also battling Pakistan in the second semifinal at Dambulla today. Speaking at the toss, Nigar said, "We want to bat first. The wicket looks good. We have played two games here, the ball was coming onto the bat nicely. We want to bat freely. 2018 was a long time ago (Bangladesh's title win over India). India has been playing well. We need to work on our batting unit. If we perform collectively, we will put on a good show." Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said at the toss, "We have played really good cricket so far. Today also, we want to back ourselves. Powerplay is always important, whether you are batting first or second. They are a good side, they always have good competition. For us, we need to focus on what we have been doing so far. We have a few changes." Bangladesh Women (Playing XI): Dilara Akter, Murshida Khatun, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Rumana Ahmed, Ishma Tanjim, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Jahanara Alam, Marufa Akter India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Uma Chetry, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Renuka Thakur Singh. (ANI)
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