“Shafali Verma gave us a catch in the second over itself. We did not take that chance, and then she scored all the runs. If we took that catch, maybe the scenario would have been different,” said Nigar Sultana Joty, captain of Bangladesh women’s cricket team, nine days ago in Dubai. Moments earlier, she had joined the long roll of cricketers who learn, at cruel cost, that cricket deals not in maybes, but in absolutes.

The result might indeed have been different on September 10, had Fahima Khatun clung on to a chance easier than a regulation catch. Reprieved on 6, Shafali made Bangladesh pay dearly, blazing a match-winning 64 off 40 balls. Neither did she stop scoring after the reprieve, nor did Bangladesh stop dropping dollies — four more chances would go begging.

The Asian Games may not sit among the high altars of cricketing prestige, but Sunday’s semi-final in Nagoya carries layers of subtext. The first is the simplest: Bangladesh seek redemption, while India seek to widen the chasm between themselves and the rest of the subcontinental chasing pack.

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For Harmanpreet Kaur’s team, it will be the seventh fixture in 22 days. Physical exhaustion, hence, could easily have been a cause of concern, but they have hardly broken a sweat in any of the last six. They arrive on the heels of an eight-wicket rout of hosts Japan, a contest that lasted a mere 149 deliveries.

Considering the dominance they have exerted over their neighbours in the last three weeks, India have little to fear from this fixture, or indeed from the competition as a whole.

And herein lies the second layer of context. In five months, India will host the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, a 20-over tournament whose field will include Australia and South Africa, both of whom beat them at this year’s T20 World Cup. Before that contest, India will have just eight outings in which to settle on their optimal XI: two at the Asian Games and three apiece against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The frailties, however minute and inconsequential they might seem like at the moment, must hence be reflected upon. On India’s wishlist will be — among other things — runs from Bharti Fulmali’s bat, and 18-year-old opener Gunalan Kamalini offering a glimpse into her potential.

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A third layer, should one be sought, is that the tournament offers both captains a chance to silence their doubters. The clamour for a new leader of the women’s team, after all, has echoed on both sides of the border. India stand a couple of steps adrift of retaining their gold medal.