It was won by the Sri Lanka Women, who defeated India Women in the final of the Asia Cup
Dambulla, July 28, 2024: In what proved to be a pulsating encounter in the Women’s Asia Cup Final, Sri Lanka Women beat India Women by 8 wickets; the latter took the title with 8 balls to spare. After posting first, India put up a challenging total on the board, but brilliant batting by Sri Lanka saw the target of 165 runs being chased down easily, while the side dominated this tournament.
India Women’s Batting Struggles
After winning the toss on a pitch that seemed conducive to batting, India opted for it. The early setbacks came their way as Shafali Verma was castled leg before wicket by Kavisha Dilhari, who put up 16 runs off 19 balls. Smriti Mandhana starred the innings, holding the innings together with a brilliant knock of 60 runs off 47 balls while striking 10 boundaries and playing a very important role in building the innings.
Though the Indian middle order crumbled, with Uma Chetry making only 9 before getting out by Chamari Athapaththu, captain Harmanpreet Kaur never found her rhythm and succumbed for 11 runs, the important partnership that did exist was between that of Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh, which provided a late surging spur for India, Rodrigues scoring 29 runs off 16 balls, and Ghosh ending with an explosive 30 runs off just 14.
Though the fireworks happened a bit late, the innings finally ended at 165/6 in the allotted 20 overs, parняв modest total to defend.
Women of Sri Lanka’s Clinical Run-Chase
Chasing 166 for victory, Sri Lanka did not have a great start as they lost opener Vishmi Gunaratne for just 1 run, who was run out by Uma Chetry. Then, it was left to the experienced captain Chamari Athapaththu, along with Harshitha Samarawickrama, to hold things together.
Athapaththu has been a mainstay through the tournament for Sri Lanka, and she played an excellent knock of 61 runs off 43 balls, with 9 boundaries and 2 sixes. She kept attacking in her batting that made it easy to chase down the target set in the front by the Indian team, always keeping the pressure on the Indian bowlers.
Samarawickrama continued the momentum as she played her part just as much in that chase, staying unbeaten on 69 off 51 balls. Her innings was marked with a steady accumulation of runs, including 6 fours and 2 sixes, as she put her team to victory with poise.
Kavisha Dilhari joined at the death, providing great support with an aggressive 30 off 16 balls that really cemented matters for Sri Lanka. The duo rounded off the game of Lanka with a fine win as they posted 167/2 in just 18.4 overs.
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Key Performers of the Match
Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh
Smriti Mandhana played the lead role with the bat for India. Her 60 runs clearly set a platform in the innings ahead and her knack for finding gaps was important in building these partnerships. The explosive innings at the end by Richa Ghosh added much-needed runs with her talent as a finisher.
Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama
For Sri Lanka, it was the two in Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama who played these defining roles. Athapaththu approached the match with aggression while Samarawickrama did so with calm and clear thinking in an anchoring sort of innings. The two were not only there to stabilize the innings after an early wicket but also ensured Sri Lanka remained ahead of the asking run rate through the run chase.
Bowling Highlights
It was a mixed bowling performance for India. Though they did well to take early wickets, lack of regular breakthroughs let Sri Lanka build those critical partnerships. The two wickets by Dilhari were huge, and Athapaththu’s scalp of Harmanpreet Kaur really hurt the Indian innings.
The middle overs were always going to be a tight time, with the Sri Lankan bowlers, mainly Kavisha Dilhari and Chamari Athapaththu, making things hard on the part of the Indian batsmen to get free-flowing runs.
Conclusion
The victory of the Sri Lanka Women in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup evidences skill, teamwork, and plain determination. Like this, not only will they take away the title but also emerge as a strong contender in women’s cricket. The Indian team could only show shades of brilliance; therefore, it will have to regroup and learn from the experience to bounce back in tournaments to come. While this might not entirely be the case, the real lessons will be going home with the various performances that both teams have put on, setting up an exciting future in women’s cricket.
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