India enter Women’s Asia Cup final with 40-run win over Bangladesh

India are in their 10th Women's Asia Cup final! they keep their proud track record alive of featuring in every single final of the Women's Asia Cup!

Now, can they win their 8th title?

Three wickets from Deepti Sharma while Nandani Sharma gets two wickets on the final two balls of the innings. And there was the 64 from Shafali Verma batting first that helped India set a daunting target of 150.

Truly the Sharma, Verma show for India here! Now they will find out tomorrow who they will face in the final.

Bangladesh dropped four catches of India, India have now dropped three. This time the culprit is Smriti Mandhana at long off. She had a bit of distance before the boundary ropes, but she stopped and trying to catch the ball one-handed. The ball fell inside the ropes and went for a four!

Deepti Sharma is denied a wicket on the first ball, and she responds by taking a wicket on the final ball! She bowls Sharmin to pick up another wicket for the night.

Sharmin Akhter b DB Sharma 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50

Bangladesh are 84/5 after 16, needing 66 runs from 24 balls

Mostary departs! A ball from Deepti Sharma slips past the bat and clatters into the stumps! Bangladesh lose their third wicket.

Bangladesh are 66/3 after 13.3 overs, needing 84 runs from 39 balls against India in the semi-final of the Women's Asia Cup.

Sobhana Mostary b DB Sharma 18 (24b 1x4 0x6) SR: 75

That 10th over from Deepti saw some words being exchanged between Sultana and Deepti. Sultana wanted to reverse sweep the ball, and had already turned the bat in her hand, but Deepti changed the ball's trajectory, so Sultana ends up hitting the ball from the back of her bat, straight to Deepti, who collects and throws the ball at the stumps. Sultana tries to get her right leg out the way of the ball, and ends up getting hit right in front of the stumps. She's not amused by that throw from Deepti.

Bangladesh really need to floor the accelerator here! They are 46/2 after 10 overs needing 104 runs from the next 60 balls. They have wickets in hand to go for the big hits. But no sixes from Bangladesh in the first 10 overs.

India have their second wicket! it's Deepti Sharma who delivers the wicket, but Kranti Gaud who takes an excellent catch after running a fair bit.

And both Bangladesh now have two batters in the middle who are new to the crease.

Dilara Akter c Gaud b DB Sharma 21 (26b 4x4 0x6) SR: 80.76

BAN are 35/2 after 8 overs

Shree Charani delivers a wicket! After getting an outside edge off Ferdous on the second ball that landed just short of the fielder at short third, she gets another edge that is pouched by the keeper! India have their first wicket! And it's Shree Charani --- of course, who else --- who delivers Harmanpreet Kaur a wicket. Ferdous tried to play against the turn, and top edged the ball into the air. There was almost a mix up with Shree Charani and Richa Ghosh both running for the catch, but Shree Charani pulls out of the run and Shafali pouches it!

Juairiya Ferdous c †Ghosh b Shree Charani 14 (18b 2x4 0x6) SR: 77.77

A MAIDEN WICKET OVER FROM SHREE CHARANI!

BAN are 26/1 after the powerplay

Shree Charani is handed the ball. The no 1 T20 bowler replaces Nandni. And she's immediately in business, nicking two dot balls off the first two balls with Juairiya Ferdous on the crease. The third ball is hit to the long off ropes, but Harman dives and pulls the ball back just short of the ropes. Harman saves two runs!

Just four runs in that over, and more importantly, no boundaries!

BAN are 22/0 after 4 overs

Nandni Sharma is bowling the second over. She starts well, with a single on the first ball and then three dot balls on the trot.

But then, Juairiya Ferdous slaps the ball over long on for a four, her second hit to the fence in two overs. Nandni responds well, by beating the bat's edge with a swinging ball on the final ball.

After 2 overs, Bangladesh are 10/0

Kranti Gaud is tasked with the first over by Harman. A conventional field set for India: a slip, deep third, long leg. six fielder on the off side.

Bangladesh have Dilara Akter and Juairiya Ferdous to start their chase. Bangladesh have never chased 150 runs in T20Is. their best chase has been 146 against Sri Lanka. No team has ever chased down 150 in Dubai! But the conditions will get better for batting as the game goes on.

Harman ends the over with a massive six! She's now batting on 24 off 28 balls with two sixes and no fours. She, and India, need a few more of those in the final over from Harman as Deepti Sharma joins her in the middle following Richa Ghosh's departure.

11 runs coming off the 18th over with the highlight being the maximum that Richa Ghosh tonked over long off! Shorna Akter's first over goes for 11 runs!

With Harman not having the best stays in the middle, Richa has to the heavy lifting in terms of quick runs in the final two overs!

After 18, IND are 127/3

Bangladesh are at their butter-fingered worse! yet another dropped catch, this time of Richa Ghosh. And to make matters worse, Fahima not only fails to catch the ball, she also helps the ball fly over the ropes for a six!

Rabeya Khan glowering at the fielder!

But after that drop and consequent six on the first ball, Rabeya manages to rein in the Indian batters well in the next five balls, giving away just five runs.

After 16 overs, IND are 107/3

Half century for Shafali! In 35 balls. Most of her other batting partners in the middle have struggled today, but Shafali, despite the two dropped catches, has hit some imperious shots!

And right after she gets to her half century, she is almost run out! But once again luck favours her!

India get back-to-back boundaries to end the 11th over. These were their first boundaries after 30 balls! The first one was a deliberate hit over covers, but the second one is edges and runs past the keeper.

After 11 overs, IND are 69/2 | India will reach 125 at the current run rate.

Shafali and Pratika have done well to stitch a partnership that's approaching 50. But Bangladesh have done well to curb India's freeflowing batting charge. Just four runs in that over.

India are 53/1 after 8 overs

A quiet couple of overs for India to end the powerplay. Five runs in the fifth over and six runs in the sixth, with Pratika Rawal hitting a six off Rabeya Khan.

At the end of powerplay, India have as many sixes as fours (three each). 19 dot balls in the 6 overs.

India 45/1 after 6 overs

Shafali living a charmed life. An outside edge in over 1 that flew past the slip. Then was dropped on 2 by Fahima Khatun in over 2. Then in the third over, Shafali again sends the ball in the air and this time Nahida Akter is the one who does not react quickly enough and the ball falls just short!

And Pratika Rawal, who joins Shafali, also hits a four.

After three overs, IND are 20/1.

Smriti off the mark with a single on the first ball. And Shafali is circumspect for the first two balls against Marufa Akter, who is Bangladesh's chief weapon for the powerplay overs.

Good line, good length and some swing too for Akter against Shafali! Point, cover, extra cover and slip taken off for Shafali. Not trying to do anything out of the ordinary is the Bangladesh bowler. But after Shafali gets an edge on the fifth ball Bangladesh bring back Fahima Khatun to the slips in a wideish role.

And Shafali hits a boundary on the final ball.

India are 7/0 after 1 over

Both set of players are out for the national anthems. And we will have a game shortly with India batting first!

So both teams are going with the same XIs. here's what the two teams will look like:

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandani Sharma

Bangladesh Women (Playing XI): Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Sharmin Akhter, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Marufa Akter

India Women to bat first after Bangladesh win toss and ask to bowl first.

"We would have batted first as well. Having runs will give us a lot of confidence," says the India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

Both sides are going with the same XI as the previous game.