India continued its glory in the Women’s Asia Cup. Today, with an eight-wicket demolition of a self-destructing Sri Lanka in the final, India won the title for the seventh time in eight editions.
After the 2017 ICC 50-over final, the 2020 Women’s T20I final, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games debacle, the Indian women have crossed the finishing line in the finals of the Asia Cup as well.
Sri Lanka did win the toss and elected to bat first. Sri Lanka, who were playing their first tournament final in 14 years, imploded after opting to bat on a slow and turning pitch. They could only manage to score 65 for nine which India knocked off in 8.3 overs. The interesting thing is that Smriti Mandhana struck a sublime 51 not out off 25 balls.
Sharing her happiness, Indian skipper Harmanpreet said, “We should credit our bowlers. Our fielding unit was good from ball one and we discussed that we should not give away easy runs. You have to read the wicket and accordingly place the fielders in the right positions. We read the wicket well and positioned fielders accordingly”.
“We were not looking at the scoreboard but only decided on our five-over targets. We never thought about what is the total on the board and batted accordingly. Very happy because in the last few games I didn’t bowl well. I practiced with my coach and the staff and they helped me get back my rhythm. Just focussed on my basics and got success. My whole team supported me well and credit should go to my captain, coach, and the staff”, she added.
Praising the achievement, Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter and wrote, “Our women cricket team makes us proud with their grit and dexterity! Congratulations to the team for winning the Women’s Asia Cup. They have shown outstanding skill and teamwork. Best wishes to the players for their upcoming endeavours”.