It wasn’t the final cricket fans were expecting to be. In a one-sided Asia Cup final, India thrashed the Sri Lankan team, defeating them by eight wickets. Smriti Mandhana, who blazed her way to her first half-century in the competition, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur completed the paltry 66-run chase in the ninth over.
SRI LANKA INNINGS
The Indian bowlers were at the top of their game from the start. Sri Lankan openers Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani didn’t even get the time to get comfortable as they could only score 7 runs in the first two overs. In the next over, Athapaththu was back in the pavilion due to her misunderstanding of taking an impossible single.
In the fifth over, Renuka dismissed Harshitha Samarawickrama as she edged it to the keeper. Sanjeewani was the next to get run out in the very next ball courtesy of the throw by Pooja Vastrakar from the midwicket. Next was Hasini Perera as she played a nothing shot on Renuka’s delivery giving an easy catch to the Mandhana at the cover.
Sri Lankan batters surrender
Kavisha Dilhari was the next victim of Renuka as she got bowled on her beautiful delivery. Sri Lanka was 16-5 in the 6th over. It soon became 27-7 as the spinning duo Sneh Rana and Gaikwad scalped a wicket each.
Gayakwad and Rana got the wickets of Oshadi Ranasinghe and Sugandika Kumari respectively to make it two for each.
Indian Chase
The first over was a quiet one but not for long. In the next over Mandhana hit through her favourite region ie covers for the first four of her innings. In the next over she targeted Ranasinghe for a six in the covers, following it up with four.
Renuka wins Player of the Match
For her brilliant spell to get three wickets, Renuka Singh got the Player of the Match.
Deepti Sharma was adjudged Player of the series. She had scored 91 runs and scalped 13 wickets as well.
Deepti Sharma and Inoka Ranaweera were the highest wicket-takers dismissing 13 victims each.
Jemimah Rodrigues was the highest run-getter of the tournament with 217 runs at the S/r of 135.
