A litmus test awaits Tigresses

Bangladesh women's side are set to take on in-form India in the semifinals of the 2024 T20 Asia Cup in Dambulla today. Despite making the semis with two back-to-back wins over Thailand and Malaysia, concerns over the batting unit are far from being removed with India bowlers expected to provide a steeper challenge.

The two teams have met 22 times in the shortest format and India have gone from strength to strength, winning 19 of those games. The gargantuan nature of Bangladesh's task is not only highlighted by Bangladesh's batting inconsistencies but also by the prospect of facing a side that won the Asia Cup seven times and are the defending champions.

In fact, if the last home series against India which the visitors swept 5-0 in Sylhet is anything to go by, Bangladesh would have to bring out their A-game to grind out a positive result.

Only skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and openers Dilara Akter and Murshida Khatun could make some decent contributions in that series, but even they averaged below 20 in that five-match series.

Bangladesh put on 191 for two in the last game against Malaysia, their second-highest score in the format. It came as a sweet relief when Murshida put on a show with a career-best 59-ball 80 while Joty struck a quickfire 62. Plenty of dropped catches from Malaysian players, however, had aided the Tigresses, who would need more vigilance in their batting plan to cause an upset today.

The Tigresses, however, could take heart from the recent performances of Joty and Murshida. Joty averaged 48 in her last five innings while Murshida's willow has smiled in this Asia Cup with back-to-back fifties that ensured two crucial wins. India's Deepti Sharma is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far and Bangladesh would look to both Joty and Murshida to thwart the off-spinner.

Going up against India, who have remained unbeaten so far and cruised to the semifinal after being group champions, Bangladesh will most certainly face a litmus test as the Tigresses lost their only encounter against a top opponent -- their opener against Sri Lanka.

However, Joty sounded optimistic ahead of the crucial semifinal, trying to take inspiration from their triumphant 2018 Asia Cup campaign in which they beat India to lift the trophy for the first time.

"All of us will be looking forward to making it into the final. The last time we played and won the final in 2018, it sort of revolutionised women's cricket in our country," Joty said.