India Women meet Bangladesh in the Asian Games semifinal on September 20 at 10:30 am IST, with India arriving after bowling Japan out for 57 and winning by eight wickets, and Bangladesh arriving without having completed a quarterfinal.
Bangladesh’s route is worth noticing. Their quarterfinal against China was abandoned because of weather, and the higher-ranked team advanced, which meant they went into the semifinal with no match practice at this stage of the event.
That cuts both ways. They have had no chance to settle or lose, and they face a favourite that has been hitting form, having chased 58 in five overs.
It also shows how much tournament design shapes outcomes. Seedings and rankings decide who advances when rain intervenes, so a team’s season-long results can matter more than a single day’s play.
The broader point is that in short knockout events the schedule and the weather are participants too, and being the higher-ranked side is an advantage that can be cashed in without playing a ball.
Bangladesh reached the semifinal after their weather-affected quarterfinal against China was abandoned, and the higher-ranked side advanced without playing.
India are the strong favourites and have an unbeaten record in recent T20 matches, according to a match preview.
The two teams met earlier in September in the Women’s Asia Cup semifinal, where India won by 40 runs.
In that Asia Cup semifinal, Shafali Verma scored 64 and Deepti Sharma took three wickets for 26 runs.
India’s squad is led by Harmanpreet Kaur and includes Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.
The match will be televised on the Sony Sports Network and streamed on SonyLIV.
The Asian Games officially opened on September 19, although women’s cricket matches began earlier in the week.
A preview of the match noted that dot balls were a concern for Bangladesh as they look to test the favourites.
Cricket stadium (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0