A good game, but can't take any team lightly: Harmanpreet Kaur after winning Asia Cup opener

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was pleased with a winning start but warned her team against taking any opponent lightly after their 94-run victory over Thailand in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup opener here on Sunday.

The seven-time champions India made a strong start with the bat through Shafali Verma but suffered an inexplicable collapse to manage 159-9 as Thailand’s bowlers exploited the conditions.

"It was a good start with the bat. Overall, it was a good game for us. The new ball was coming on nicely, but after that there was a bit of hold," Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.

"We didn't play good shots, but credit to Thailand for bowling in the areas where it wasn't easy to hit. They bowled well, and we also didn't execute very well."

"All the teams playing in the Asia Cup have shown a lot of improvement, so we can't take any team lightly," Harmanpreet added.

While Shafali Verma smashed a quick 64, Deepti Sharma produced a record-breaking three-wicket spell without conceding a run to help India bowl out Thailand for just 65 in 16.1 overs.

"Both are key players for us. Shafali is someone who gets crucial runs and has a good rhythm, and Deepti is someone with a lot of experience, and today she used that experience," she said.

Shafali said she adjusted her approach once the ball became older and began holding up off the surface.

"I was just trying to place the ball in the gaps, and after the ball got old, there was a bit of hold, so I was just trying to get used to that," Shafali said.

"At the start, the ball was coming (on) nicely to the bat, but then there was a bit of hold, so I was just trying to play it late and hit it in the gaps."

Thailand's stand-in captain Thipatcha Putthawong said her side could take confidence from its performance, particularly with the ball in the second half of the first innings.

"Proud of how we performed overall. It was a good opportunity to play against a big team, something we don't get often. Next time, we'll come back harder. Felt that the second half of the (first) innings with the ball was very good," she said.

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