3 Nepal players India will have to be wary of in Women's Asia Cup 2024 clash ft. Samjhana Khadka
India will take on Nepal in their final group game of the 2024 Women's Asia Cup in Dambulla on Tuesday, July 23. The Women in Blue have made a perfect start to their campaign, beating Pakistan and UAE comfortably.
A fine 66 off 47 balls from Harmanpreet Kaur and an absolute blinder by Richa Ghosh (64 off 29) helped India post a mammoth 201/5 in their 20 overs. It proved to be too much for the UAE as they lost the game by 78 runs. Nepal, on the other hand, could only muster 108/6 in their previous game and were comprehensively beaten by Pakistan.
However, T20 is a fickle format where any team on their day can mount a challenge on the opposition. Not to forget, Nepal have already beaten the UAE and themselves stand an outside chance of making it to the semifinal.
On that note, let's take a look at three players from the Nepal team that India will have to be wary of to avoid an upset:
#1 Samjhana Khadka
Nepal opener Samjhana Khadka was the star of the show in their first game against the UAE. She scored a sizzling 72* off just 45 balls in an innings that saw her hit 11 boundaries and maintain a super strike rate of 160.
Although she missed out in the second game against Pakistan, Khadka has shown she has the game to take advantage of the powerplay restrictions. The Women in Blue will need to dismiss her early to ensure Nepal don't get off to a flying start.
#2 Indu Barma
Nepal captain Indu Barma had a brilliant outing in the first game of the Women's Asia Cup as she registered figures of 3/19 against the UAE. It was her spell that helped Nepal restrict the opposition to just 115/8 in their 20 overs.
In 55 T20Is, Barma has picked up 29 wickets maintaining a fine economy rate of 4.15. Her ability to take wickets at crucial junctures in the game could test the Indian middle-order. Barma is also a handy middle-order batter and while she hasn't got a big score in the tournament yet, she is certainly due one.
#3 Kabita Joshi
Walking out to bat at No.7 against Pakistan, Kabita Joshi played a fine cameo of 31 off 23 balls, smashing four boundaries and a six. Her knock gave some respectability to Nepal's first-innings score.
Joshi has also been economical with the ball, conceding only 12 runs against the UAE and was the only bowler to take a wicket against Pakistan. Her all-round contributions in the tournament so far make her a genuine threat to the Indian team.