2 min readSep 4, 2026 09:06 PM ISTIndia are already through to the semifinals of the Women's Asia Cup. (Asian Cricket Council)India face Pakistan in the Women’s Asia Cup on Saturday in Dubai. Both sides come into the match on the back of some big wins – India beat Thailand by 94 runs and Hong Kong by 137 runs while Pakistan beat Thailand by 35 runs, but India are the outright favourites going into the match.Unlike what is the case in the men’s game, in which Pakistan used to be dominant against India in the past, the former never had that kind of sustained success against their arch-rivals in women’s cricket. Moreover, India are already through to the semifinals. India all-rounder Deepti Sharma has said that the only advantage they have had in matches against Pakistan is that they tended to be one step ahead of their opponents on the day.“Look, there is no advantage as such. The only thing is that whatever we have won against them (Pakistan), whether it is the Asia Cup or any other matches, we are always one step ahead of them. And that’s it,” Deepti said at the pre-match press conference.“The whole team is performing well. If you look at the bowling unit or the batting unit, I think both things are balanced. The one who has a good day, she tries to do better and take the game further. And those around her, they try to stay positive things so that they step in more in their game.”Asked about the Pakistan team, she said, “Look, our team is also good and their bowlers are also good. We know that. But we focus more on the strengths we have. And as I said, we want to play a good brand of cricket. That’s what we are focusing on.“We just want to play good cricket. As a bowling unit, as a batting unit, the team should be as compact as we are playing in two games. That’s the mindset,” said Deepti who has taken six wickets from the two matches so far.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Asia CupIndia vs PakistanAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement