After a disappointing campaign at the T20 World Cup, the reigning 50-over world champions India will shift their focus to the 10th Women’s T20 Asia Cup, starting in the UAE from Friday.While all eyes will be on the September 5 India-Pakistan clash, the Indian team will also have to contend with defending champions Sri Lanka for the title. Though India have won eight out of 10 Asia Cup titles, former India captain Anjum Chopra feels that the team needs to be careful as it carries high expectations.The teams are divided into two groups, with Hong Kong and Thailand joining India and Pakistan in Group A. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia join hosts UAE in Group B.”Pressure will be there in every game, but when we look at India-Pakistan specifically, there’s a kind of self-created pressure. It’s a match where you don’t want to falter. I would never take Pakistan, Sri Lanka or any team lightly. Sri Lanka won the championship last time. I wouldn’t want to take Pakistan lightly for obvious reasons, whether they’re a strong team or not,” she said.Chopra praised skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership abilities. “Harmanpreet has evolved as a captain, especially over the last three years. I think it’s been a learning process for her as captain. I think she’s improved, not only as captain, but even as a batter over the last year and a half. She’s a perfect leader with a very good blend of aggression and calmness,” she said.


