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Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to bat first against India in their Women's Asia Cup 2026 clash in Dubai on Saturday.
The no-handshake saga continued as India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana once again refrained from shaking hands during the toss. The Women in Blue have won nine of their last 10 T20Is against Pakistan, with their only defeat coming in the 2022 Asia Cup. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. head into this clash in a strong position, having won their opening two games and already secured their place in the knockouts. Pakistan, meanwhile, began their campaign with a win over Thailand and, regardless of todays result, still have a game against Hong Kong to come. "We're gonna bat first because we want to put a maximum total here. [Did the last game influence this decision?] Yeah, because we know we have a good bowling side, so we will try to restrict them. [How have you addressed the batting wobble?] We had a good chat with the team, and we just want to play according to the pitch," Sana said. While Harmanpreet Kaur said it is good to get the opportunity to bowl first, and India will try to restrict the opponent to a short total. "Our bowling is doing great in this tournament, and good to get the opportunity to bowl first. [How challenging is chasing?] I think while batting it's always about giving ourselves some time and then going for your shots. And I think the first two games we did really well in that department, and hopefully we'll continue. [On leading for the 150th time in T20Is] Great achievement. But the key is to keep enjoying yourself on the field, and that is key; I try to keep up with that. [What score would you like to chase?] We'll try to restrict them to a short total, so there won't be pressure while chasing," she said. Teams:India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud.Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Muneeba Ali(w), Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana(c), Umm-e-Hani, Eyman Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal. (ANI)
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