It's spin vs spin as India and Sri Lanka do battle for Asia Cup title

If spin is to decide the Women's T20 Asia Cup final, both India and Sri Lanka have plenty to call upon. India's spin attack, led by Deepti Sharma, has taken 26 wickets in the tournament, the most by a side. Sri Lanka are next with 25. That makes it seem like a spin vs spin and more spin kind of title contest.

On the plus side for India is that they have appeared well-rounded on the whole. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have scored the bulk of the runs.

Sri Lanka, by contrast, have had to fight for momentum with the bat on the slow Dubai pitches. They were 33 for 4 in the semi-final against Pakistan before Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari revived and then completed the chase. Prior to that, they were 44 for 5 against Bangladesh and had to depend on Samarawickrama's composed knock to seal their semi-final spot. They were also 45 for 5 against Indonesia in the league stage, before Nilakshika Silva lifted them.

That batting order has looked shaky. Chamari Athapaththu tallying just 63 runs from four innings and Imesha Dulani 64 from four innings is a concern. And India's bowling - quick bowler Nandani Sharma has been in good form too - might be tougher to handle than what Sri Lanka have faced so far.

But Sri Lanka's one victory in that stretch came in the biggest game of all: the 2024 Asia Cup final in Dambulla, when they chased down 166 with eight wickets to spare to win the title.

That means Sri Lanka have both a challenge and a cause for optimism. They will need their batters to withstand Nandani and India's spin trio - Deepti, N Shree Charani and Prema Rawat - and find a way to build partnerships, rather than leave too much for the middle and lower-middle order to do.

India have the balance and form while Sri Lanka, the defending champions, know better than most that a final can reset the equation. Not to forget, despite their struggles with the bat, Sri Lanka have an all-win record in the Asia Cup so far, the same as India.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWWWL

Shafali Verma has made fast starts a recurring theme, scoring 168 runs in four matches at an impressive strike rate of 169.69. Two of her knocks have been 64s, and she has shown little sign of taking her foot off the accelerator. In the final, how she sets up the innings could be crucial.

Sri Lanka have found ways to recover from early collapses, with different players stepping up at different stages. But they need their talisman, Chamari Athapaththu, to come to the fore in the final. Athapaththu has made an impact with the ball - she is the tournament's joint-highest wicket-taker - but her batting is yet to click. She has crossed 30 only once in four matches, in the opener against UAE. A noteworthy contribution with the bat, to go with her threat with the ball, could give Sri Lanka the spark they need against India.

India have fielded an unchanged XI in the tournament so far and, barring injuries, should do the same.

India (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Pratika Rawal, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Bharti Fulmali, 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Prema Rawat, 9 Kranti Gaud, 10 N Shree Charani, 11 Nandani Sharma

Sri Lanka have used 14 of their 17 players. In the semi-final against Pakistan, they left out Vishmi Gunaratne and Chethana Vimukthi for Hasini Perera and Mithali Ayodhya, which might be their ideal XI.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Imesha Dulani, 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Sanjana Kavindi, 4 Harsthitha Samarawickrama, 5 Hasini Perera, 6 Kavisha Dilhari, 7 Nilakshika Silva, 8 Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), 9 Sugandika Kumari, 10 Chamudi Praboda, 11 Mithali Ayodhya

It's been a low-scoring tournament, with only two totals above 150, both achieved by India. Conditions have favoured spin and slower bowlers, making stroke-making a challenge. The temperature is expected to be around 37 degrees Celsius during the day and will drop just a bit in the evening. Teams batting first have won nine out of 14 matches so far.