India defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the Women’s Asia Cup 2022 final here at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh, on Saturday, 15 October. With this victory, the women in blue secured their seventh Women’s Asia Cup title.
Chasing a target of only 66 runs, the Indian batters did not face any trouble as they got over the line in only 8.3 overs. Smriti Mandhana played a scintillating knock of unbeaten 51 runs from 25 deliveries, and while Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues were not on song in this encounter, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored 11 runs to secure a comfortable victory.
Earlier, India’s bowling unit did an exemplary job, as they restricted Sri Lanka to a meagre total of 65/9. Winning the toss, Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu opted to bat first, but the decision did not play dividends.
She lost her wicket to a run out in the third over, while in the next over, Harshitha Madavi, Anushka Sanjeewani and Hasini Perera lost their wickets in three successive deliveries.
None of the Lankans’ batters could get a move on as wickets kept falling in nearly every other over. Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva and Malsha Shehani departed in a span of 19 deliveries, and while Oshadi Ranasinghe tried to hold the fort from one end, she eventually lost her wicket in the 12th over after scoring 13 runs.
Renuka's Three Wickets Set The Tone For India
Following her dismissal, left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera scored 18 runs from 22 deliveries to not only take Sri Lanka's score beyond the 50-run mark, but also avoid an all out.
For India, Renuka Singh was the most successful bowler, picking up the wickets of Madavi, Perera and Kavisha Dilhari, and conceding only five runs in her three overs. Besides her, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Sneh Rana picked up two wickets apiece.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)