Women’s Asia Cup: 'Not Taking Sri Lanka Lightly, Focus On Ourselves,’ Says Deepti Ahead Of Final

Women’s Asia Cup: Not taking Sri Lanka lightly, focus on ourselves,’ says Deepti ahead of final (Dubai: Womens Asia Cup - India vs Thailand)

Dubai International Cricket Stadium: India's star all-rounder Deepti Sharma said that India-Sri Lanka matches are always good games, and that they are not in the mood to take the defending Asia Cup champions lightly, as they meet them in the 2026 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

India and Sri Lanka are facing each other for the third straight time in the Asia Cup finals, with both sides winning one final each. While India have had the upper hand over Sri Lanka, Deepti remained cautious about not taking the opponent lightly.

"We all know they have a good side and they have, (they have) good youngsters also coming up in the Asia Cup. So, it's a good team, and whenever we play against them, we have good matches against them," Deepti told broadcasters ahead of the start of the final.

"Having played against them in the last few matches, we remember they are a good side. So, obviously, we'll not take any team lightly, and obviously Sri Lanka. But we always focus on ourselves, how we can do better things, and we'll approach the same thing as we have done before in this Asia Cup," she added.

Deepti was asked whether she could give a glimpse of her plans for the final against Sri Lanka. The all-rounder kept her cards close to her chest, but admitted that she has plans.

"I can't share it here, obviously. But yeah, we planned something for the finals, and we watched that game (semifinal against Pakistan) as well," she said.

The middle overs have been crucial in this tournament, with sides not posting big totals, except India. Deepti highlighted that all 40 overs are crucial for winning the game. "Actually, I think all 40 overs decide the game because sometimes in the powerplay, the ball comes really good, but sometimes it doesn't. But we always have to be ready.

"And we know (these conditions) because we played a lot here, 3-4 games before this. So, we know how the ball is behaving, how the ball is coming to the bat. So, it's going to be exciting," she said.

The middle overs have been crucial in this tournament, with sides not posting big totals, except India. Deepti highlighted that all 40 overs are crucial for winning the game. "Actually, I think all 40 overs decide the game because sometimes in the powerplay, the ball comes really good, but sometimes it doesn't. But we always have to be ready.

Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bat first. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed the only change to the team, with G Kamalini replacing Pratika Rawal.

Article Source: IANS