Web Desk
Sri Lanka clinched their first ever Women’s Asia Cup title by beating India by eight wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Sunday.
India won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a formidable total of 165 for 6 thanks to a determined effort by Smriti Mandhana (60) and a late burst by Rich Ghosh (30). Mandhana anchored the innings with her 47-ball 60, laced with ten boundaries, and steered India into a strong position after an impressive start.
India started the innings on a high and raced to 44 for no loss by the end of the over. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers, led by the disciplined Kavisha Dilhari (2/36), staged a strong comeback to contain the Indian batting line-up.
Ghosh’s quickfire 30 off 14 balls, containing four fours and a six, provided the necessary pressure towards the end and enabled India to cross the 150-run mark.
In response, Sri Lanka’s chase was led by brilliant innings from Chamari Athapaththu and resilient knocking from Harshit Samarawickram.
Despite an early setback in the form of Athapaththu’s dismissal for 61 in the 12th over, a counter-attacking half-century by Harshit and a quick-fire 30 by Dilhari guided Sri Lanka home with an over to spare.
Athapaththu’s 61 laid the foundation but it was Harshita who turned the tide and made up for his earlier lapses in the field with an impressive 69 not out from 50 balls, including two sixes and six fours. Dilhari’s unbeaten 30 off 16 balls provided the perfect finish as the duo celebrated amid a jubilant Dambulla crowd.
Summary of the Match
India: 165 for 6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 60, Richa Ghosh 30; Kavisha Dilhari 2/36)
Sri Lanka: 166 for 2 in 19 overs (Harshita Samarawickrama 69*, Chamari Athapaththu 61; Renuka Thakur Singh 1/30)
Playing XI
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Uma Chetry, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Renuka Thakur Singh
Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (w), Hasini Perera, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sachin Nisanis
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