India's squad for the Women's Asia Cup 2024 is teeming with spin options. There are four specialists in Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and S Asha; several part-timers in D Hemalatha, Harmanpreet Kaur, S Sajana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues; and two travelling reserves Tanuja Kanwar and Saika Ishaque.
It's a selection decision that was made with more than just the ongoing Asia Cup in mind - there's a T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October. India have been to Bangladesh twice in the last two years and the pitches in Sylhet, the venue for their T20 World Cup games, are spin friendly. It's likely why India have more spinners than strictly necessary for the batting-friendly conditions in Dambulla, where the Asia Cup is being played.
Their spinners have played an important role in their unbeaten run to the final, though. Deepti has played all 68 of India's T20Is since 2021 and she has proven her value with her offbreaks once again in Sri Lanka by leading the wicket-charts (9) in the Asia Cup. Her spell of 3 for 20 broke Pakistan's innings and earned her the Player of the Match award.
Left-arm spinner Radha only made her comeback to the squad earlier this year and she is making herself undroppable. With a loopy delivery and a deadly arm-ball in her repertoire, she's taken six wickets and has an economy of 5.40 in four Asia Cup games. In her heyday, Radha had picked up wickets in 27 successive T20Is between November 2018 to March 2021, but lost her spot in the squad after the T20 World Cup in 2023. After a successful WPL 2024 season with Delhi Capitals, Radha is back in the squad and has become one of India's first-choice spinners.
While Radha, 24, and Deepti, 26, have been around for a while, 21-year old Patil was one of the finds of the WPL. The offspinner was the highest wicket-taker (13) of the 2024 season and contributed significantly to RCB winning their maiden title. With her variations in pace, Patil can bowl in every phase of the game, but once she was ruled out of the Asia Cup after one game with a broken finger, Kanwar got her maiden call-up as a replacement. Kanwar was Gujarat Giants' top wicket-taker in WPL 2024, and one of her variations is a ball she delivers from well behind the popping crease. She has fit seamlessly into one of Patil's roles - bowling at least one over in the powerplay.
That the legspinner Asha, who was second on the WPL 2024 wicket charts, is yet to play in the Asia Cup is an indication of how rich India's spin resources are now.
But it is a fast bowler who has been India's second most successful bowler in Sri Lanka. Renuka Singh had a tough return from a stress fracture she suffered at the end of WPL 2023, and played just one of the three home T20Is against South Africa earlier this month after conceding more than 40 twice in three games. She's found her form in Dambulla, adjusting to windy conditions to pick up seven wickets in four games, including a Player of the Match performance in the semi-final against Bangladesh.
Pooja Vastrakar's all-round ability has made her the first-choice seamer in India's XI during the Asia Cup and she's returned four wickets in three games. In the one game she didn't play, Arundhati Reddy picked up two wickets against Nepal, and the fact that every bowler has made contributions to India's run to the final has thrilled their captain.
"Our bowlers did a great job and executed what we spoke in the team meetings," Harmanpreet Kaur said after India made their fifth T20 Asia Cup final. "I am proud of our bowling. The bowlers come up with a positive approach and ideas regularly, and they are hitting the right lines and lengths. They give me confidence."
India's bowling has tended to crack when put under pressure in big tournaments. They conceded 184 to Australia in the 2020 T20 World Cup final and couldn't defend 274 in a must-win game against South Africa in the 2022 ODI World Cup.
With all their bowlers finding their groove in the Asia Cup, India's attack could pose a formidable challenge in the conditions they are likely to encounter at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. But first, they face a test in Sunday's final, against an in-form Chamari Athapaththu and her resurgent Sri Lankan side.