India will embark on their bid to reclaim the Women’s Asia Cup title on Sunday with a nearly full-strength squad, save for their player for ‘clutch’ moments, Jemimah Rodrigues. The top-order batter will not be featuring in this competition and next month’s Asian Games, owing to a hamstring injury she sustained during The Hundred Women’s.

Rodrigues is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and Pratika Rawal — who is yet to play a T20I or a Women’s Premier League fixture — has been named as her replacement.

Ahead of India’s campaign opener against Thailand, head coach Amol Muzumdar acknowledged that Rodrigues’ absence will be felt by the Indian team.

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“Speaking about Jemimah, I have always maintained that she is a clutch player for us. She will definitely be missed. But having said that, her recovery is very important for us. She will be missed. There are some other players who have come into the team, and I am sure they will do well. But having said that, Jemimah will be missed,” he told the reporters.

While India will walk into this tournament as outright favourites — having won seven of the nine editions, current form has been a cause of concern for the 50-over world champions. Harmanpreet Kaur’s girls have lost nine of their last 16 T20Is, including a group stage exit at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June.

Muzumdar, though, is not concerned about form — or the lack of it.

“We don’t pay too much attention to form. You are talking about 16 T20Is in the last 6 months. But at the same time, we know what scope of improvement this team has got. This is a young side. We are trying to play aggressive cricket. And from here on, we will try and set the tone for the next 6 months.”

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Among the most anticipated games of the tournament is the clash between India and Pakistan, which will be played on September 5. On being asked whether his players will shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, Muzumdar replied: “Look, we try to play the best cricket on the ground. And off-the-field stuff, we don’t focus on. We will speak about this (shaking hands) when we play that game (against Pakistan). But at the moment, we are focusing on the Thailand game.”