India won the Women's Asia Cup easily. But did they really solve their issues?

When India flew to Dubai in pursuit of their eighth Women's Asia Cup crown, they were overwhelming favourites to win it all. And that's exactly what they did, in typically dominant fashion.

India began their campaign with a 94-run win over Thailand and barely took their foot off the pedal against the rest of the opposition. Pakistan were not spared either, getting bundled out for just 55, while Hong Kong China could manage only 56 as India's spin trio of Sree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Prema Rawat spun a web around the batters.

With the bat, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma led the charge, the opening pair setting the tone for most of India's victories. Shafali finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 236 runs, while Mandhana was close behind with 213.

Deepti picked up 14 wickets to top the bowling charts, followed by Charani with 12. Regardless of what unfolded in the final and the presentation ceremony, the numbers paint a picture of India simply breezing through the competition.

But the bigger picture tells a different story.

India arrived in Dubai after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in England, where they had entered as one of the favourites but failed to live up to expectations. The Asia Cup was supposed to be a chance to put some of those problems right, fine-tune the combination and prepare for the next T20 World Cup and the LA Olympics.

Instead, as India leave Dubai and turn their attention towards the Asian Games, several uncomfortable questions remain.THE BATTING ORDER CONUNDRUM

While Mandhana and Shafali were in regal touch, the same cannot be said about the rest of India's batting unit. The absence of Jemimah Rodrigues left a significant hole at No. 3, and India never quite managed to fill it convincingly.

The role was handed to Pratika Rawal, who had impressed during India's Women's World Cup triumph last year. However, Rawal is not naturally seen as the kind of aggressive batter who can immediately put bowlers under pressure or launch a counter-attack.

That became increasingly evident during the Asia Cup.

Rawal managed just 56 runs in four matches at an average of 14 and a strike rate of 98.24. She was eventually dropped for the final, with Kamalini drafted into the side.

The problem at No. 3, however, did not begin in Dubai.

During the T20 World Cup, the team management experimented with Yastika Bhatia in the role and pushed Jemimah down the order, before eventually bringing her back up. They then tried shuffling the position between Jemimah and Harmanpreet Kaur, but once again struggled to find a settled solution.

Harmanpreet walked in at No. 3 in the Asia Cup final but could manage only 14 off 14 balls.

And the problems were not restricted to No. 3. They stretched across the batting order.

After the two openers, the third-highest run tally for India came from Harmanpreet, who scored 71 runs. It also appeared that India had little in the finishing department apart from Richa Ghosh.

With Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam dealing with injuries, Ghosh has increasingly become the player expected to provide the big hits lower down the order.

But she too had a quiet tournament, managing just 49 runs in five matches, with two fours and three sixes. Bharti Fulmali, who was expected to share some of the finishing responsibility, scored only 17 runs in five matches and looked completely at sea with the bat.

If India are serious about closing the gap on the world's best sides in women's T20Is, they need to find answers quickly. The batting cannot continue to depend so heavily on Mandhana and Shafali providing the fireworks at the top.SPIN DAZZLES, BUT WHAT ABOUT PACE?

Dubai was never going to be the ideal venue for fast bowlers to dominate. The conditions were always expected to favour spin, and that is exactly how the tournament played out.

India's spinners thrived. But the pace department left a few questions behind.

Nandani Sharma impressed, picking up seven wickets in five matches. Kranti Gaud, however, managed only two wickets, and India at times appeared to be missing an experienced leader in the pace attack.

Renuka Singh was part of the squad but did not play a single match after failing to find form before the Asian Games.

India can certainly look towards Nandani and Kranti as long-term options, with both capable of growing into leaders of the attack. But for now, they still need an experienced fast bowler who can provide early breakthroughs and ensure that the entire bowling burden does not fall on the spin department.

The Asia Cup showed just how dangerous India's spinners can be.

It also showed that they may not have enough answers with the new ball.FIELDING WOES

India's fielding has never consistently been beyond question.

There have been moments of brilliance from the likes of Jemimah, Radha Yadav and others over the years, but the Asia Cup served as another reminder of how much work still needs to be done.

India dropped as many as 12 catches in five matches. In T20 cricket, that is simply unacceptable.

They may have escaped without paying a heavy price in Dubai because of the gulf in quality between India and some of the other sides in the competition. Against stronger opposition, however, those missed chances could have changed the course of matches.

And India know that better than most.

The next T20 World Cup will not be as forgiving.

India will now return home for a short break before flying to Japan to defend their Asian Games gold. Once again, they will head into the tournament as favourites.

But the Asian Games cannot just be about adding another gold medal to the cabinet.

It has to be another opportunity to find answers.

India won the Women's Asia Cup with ease. But the title did not erase the questions surrounding the batting order, the pace attack and their fielding.

If those issues remain unresolved, another Asian Games gold could simply end up papering over cracks that are slowly beginning to widen.

And sooner or later, India will come up against an opponent strong enough to expose every one of them.- EndsPublished By: alan johnPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 07:49 IST