India Women have stepped up their preparations for the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup with an intensive training session at the ICC Academy in Dubai, as Harmanpreet Kaur’s side fine-tuned their plans ahead of their tournament opener against Thailand on August 30.
The session began with warm-up drills before the players took part in a short football activity. The team then moved into focused batting, bowling and wicketkeeping practice, with several key players getting valuable time in the middle.
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana spent more than half an hour batting in the nets, while Shafali Verma also had a brief batting session. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur had an extended stint with the bat and was closely involved with the younger members of the squad. Leg-spinner Prema Rawat was among those bowling to the captain during the session.
Renuka Thakur seen leaving the bowling nets early
Deepti Sharma bowled to Shafali, while opener Pratika Rawal also had an extended batting session. Rawal, drafted into the squad after Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out with a high-grade hamstring tear, spent close to 30 minutes at the nets.
The bowling unit also received considerable attention. Bowling coach Aavishkar Silva was seen working with the bowlers, particularly Kranti Gaud, while Arundhati Reddy delivered an extended spell and appeared to be in good rhythm. In this session, Renuka Thakur was seen leaving the nets after bowling for a while; she spent the rest of the time stretching. Team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also seen bowling.
Wicketkeeper G Kamalini went through specialised wicketkeeping drills, adding to the team’s preparations across all departments. Selection panel member Jaya Sharma and former chief selector Neetu David were also present at the session, observing the team’s work.
India, seven-time Asia Cup champions, will have another training session on August 29 before facing Thailand in their opening Group A match. With Pakistan and Hong Kong, China also in their group, India will be looking to start strongly and build early momentum.
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