Who: India vs Sri Lanka
What: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Group A match
When: Wednesday, October 9, 6pm (14:00 GMT)
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text coverage begins at 11:00 GMT

Sri Lanka’s talismanic captain Chamari Athapaththu believes her team have nothing to lose when they face India in their third group stage match at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Wednesday.

Athapaththu’s side have lost both their matches, against Pakistan and Australia, and are all but out of contention for the semifinals with two games to go.

A win over India will keep them mathematically alive in the tournament but a loss will seal their fate.

“We have to get things done [tomorrow],” Athapaththu said in her pre-match news conference on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old all-rounder took the blame for Sri Lanka’s poor results and said it was her responsibility to lead from the front.

“I couldn’t give the team the momentum [as an opening batter] in past two matches and my failure has a huge effect on the team,” she said.

The pitches and conditions in the UAE have produced low-scoring matches in the shortest format of cricket. Athapaththu said while the tracks were challenging, it was down to her team to take on the challenge like other top players have done so far.

Sri Lanka have the advantage of beating India in their latest encounter in July, when Athapaththu led her team to a historic win in the final of the Asia Cup at home.

She expressed hope that Sri Lankan fans will continue to turn up in big numbers to support their team and that her younger teammates will not buckle under pressure.

“The team that will handle that pressure will win the match tomorrow,” she said.

India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was calm under pressure in the close finish against Pakistan, has been declared fit to lead her team against Sri Lanka despite a late injury on Sunday.

Kaur’s deputy, Smriti Mandhana, said the batter confirmed her leader’s availability in a pre-match news conference but urged her teammates to be “smart” in their batting approach.

“We can’t we can’t go out there thinking that we are going to take on the bowling lineup and cruise [to a big total] because the conditions and the outfield [in Dubai] are a different,” Mandhana said.

India’s quest for the semifinals will be hampered by their poor net run rate (NRR), which has currently placed them at fourth position in Group A.

However, the Indian top-order batter said the team isn’t concerned about the NRR and will instead focus on getting their second win in the bag.

Pitch and weather conditions

Dubai has produced low-scoring encounters in its four matches in the tournament so far. New Zealand’s 160 against India was the highest score at the venue where batters have mostly struggled to score boundaries. The pitch, too, has not provided big-hitting opportunities.

The teams and fans can expect cooler temperatures, given the game will be a late start. The humidity levels will drop as the match progresses.

Form guide: India

While India’s win over Pakistan gave them their first two points of the tournament, it was not a faultless performance from the South Asian powerhouse. Apart from Kaur, none of the batters have scored at a high strike rate in both matches and will look to score quicker runs as they seek to improve their net run rate.

Last five matches: W L L W W

Form guide: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, too, will be bitterly disappointed with their bating display in their two losses. Captain Athapaththu will have to lead from the front and top of the batting order if Sri Lanka are to post a challenging total.

Last five matches: L L L W W

India vs Sri Lanka: T20 Head-to-head record

The head-to-head record overwhelmingly favours India, who have won 19 of the 25 T20 matches between the two sides. Sri Lanka have beaten India on four occasions, while one match was washed out.

India team news

The Indian captain’s late injury in the match against Pakistan was a cause for concern for the team and its fans, but Kaur has been cleared for Wednesday’s match. Pooja Vastrakar, who missed the last match due a niggle, may also return to take her place from Sajana Sajeevan.

Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.

Sri Lanka team news

Sri Lanka’s batting woes have been their main concern in the first two matches, but it is unlikely that the bowler-heavy side will make a change to the playing XI against India.

Squad: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Anushka Sanjeewani (wicketkeeper), Harshitha Madhavi Samarawickrama, Nilakshika de Silva, Inoka Ranaweera, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Sachini Nisansala, Vishmi Gunaratne, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchan