Dubai, August 2026 : Thailand won the toss and elected to field first against India in their 2026 Women’s Asia Cup Group A encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, with Indian top-order batter Pratika Rawal making her T20I debut.
Seven-time champions India began their campaign against Thailand, who entered the contest on the back of a narrow victory over Hong Kong China. India have dominated their previous meetings with Thailand in the shortest format, winning all three of their T20I encounters by convincing margins.
Rawal, who has already represented India in both ODIs and Tests, was drafted into the squad for the continental tournament as a replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues, who was ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her team was comfortable with the toss outcome and was focused on putting together a strong performance in their opening match in Dubai.
“We also thought of bowling first, but batting first is also not a problem. It is our first match in Dubai. Rather than keeping a lot of things in mind, it's about going out there and giving our best,” Harmanpreet said.
Explaining Rawal’s inclusion, the India captain said the batter was getting her opportunity because Rodrigues was unavailable. Harmanpreet also stressed the importance of maintaining an aggressive approach throughout the tournament.
“Today Pratika is making her debut because Jemi is not there. Playing good cricket is what we want to do. We have spoken about being ruthless and this is an important tournament for us,” she added.
Thailand, meanwhile, will be captained by Thipatcha Putthawong, who is standing in for regular skipper Nannapat Koncharoenkai, who is unavailable due to injury.
Putthawong said Thailand were confident about bowling first and hoped to restrict India to a manageable total.
“We are going to bowl first. Nothing more than 170 (to keep India to). Yes, we are excited to play against India,” she said.
The match is also a landmark occasion for India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who is making her 150th T20I appearance.
Deepti becomes only the third Indian cricketer to reach the milestone, following captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has played 202 T20Is, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who has featured in 171 matches. Globally, Deepti is the 12th player in women’s cricket history to reach 150 T20I appearances.
Playing XIs
India: Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma.
Thailand: Natthakan Chantham, Nannapat Koncharoenkai (wicketkeeper), Chanida Sutthiruang, Suleeporn Laomi, Onnicha Kamchomphu, Thipatcha Putthawong (captain), Phannita Maya, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, Sunida Chaturongrattana, Nannaphat Chaihan, Naomi Hamilton.
