India will face Bangladesh in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final in Dubai on Thursday, entering the knockout match as strong favourites after a dominant group-stage campaign.

India defeated Thailand, Hong Kong and Pakistan in the tournament and will now look to carry that momentum into the semi-final. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will aim to produce an upset as the teams meet for a place in the final.

India’s strong tournament run

India’s campaign has been built around a highly effective spin attack. The team’s spin trio have taken 20 wickets between them at a combined cost of 79 runs, making them one of the side’s most important strengths in the tournament so far.

The senior core of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma also remains central to India’s plans. Their experience will be important as India move from the group stage into a match with much greater significance.

India’s overall progress has not been without a concern. Their middle-order contribution has been identified as an area that needs improvement, leaving the team with a potential vulnerability despite its strong results and bowling performance.

The semi-final will therefore provide a test of whether India’s batting depth can match the impact of its spin attack. Bangladesh will look to put pressure on that middle order and prevent India from controlling the match through its main strengths.

Bangladesh seek an upset

Bangladesh enter the contest with the opportunity to overturn the pre-match expectations. Their batting struggled against the United Arab Emirates, an issue they will need to address against an Indian side that has conceded relatively little through its spin bowling.

The Bangladesh team will need a more dependable batting effort if it is to challenge India in Dubai. The semi-final represents a chance to turn its tournament into a major result by overcoming one of the competition’s leading sides.

The two teams have previous Women’s Asia Cup final history. India and Bangladesh met in the 2018 final, adding another layer of context to Thursday’s knockout fixture.

India will be seeking to justify its status as favourite and continue its unbeaten run in the tournament, while Bangladesh will attempt to make the most of its opportunity in the knockout stage. The winner will advance to the Women’s Asia Cup final.