Women's Asia Cup 2022: India thumps Thailand by 74 runs to enter Final comfortably, fans delighted
India is through to the Final of the Women's Asia Cup 2022. On Thursday, it defeated Thailand by 74 runs in an apparent one-sided encounter. It would face the winner of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka semis clash.
FollowA dominant India crushed minnows Thailand by 74 runs, storming into the 2022 Women's Asia Cup Final. It remains on course for a record-extending seventh title. The win over Thailand takes India to its eighth straight Asia Cup final -- four in One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20) formats. Before 2012, the competition was an ODI affair. The semi-final contest against Thailand at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday was invariably envisioned to be a cakewalk for India, and it was so. India posted 148/6 after being invited to bat before restricting Thailand to 74/9.
Chasing the target, Thailand was never in the hunt, losing wickets regularly. The Thai women, however, managed better than their previous outing against the Indians in the league stage, where they lost by nine wickets. In that game, the Indians skittled Thailand for just 37 runs within 15.1 overs and chased the target quickly.
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On Thursday, the Thai women presented an improvised version of themselves with the bat, despite struggling at 21/4 by the eighth over. Deepti Sharma (3/7) inflicted the most damage with her off-spin, scalping the opening three Thai wickets -- Nannapat Koncharoenkai, Natthakan Chantham and Sornnarin Tippoch -- in straight overs.
Medium pacer Renuka Singh (1/6) cleaned Chanida Sutthiruang, with Thailand's chase falling apart. Captain Naruemol Chaiwai (21) and Nattaya Boochatham (21) offered some antagonism with the bat, producing a 42-run partnership for the fifth wicket. However, the tall asking rate did not allow them to make it better. They were the only two Thai batters to record double figures.
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Once the duo were dismissed, the Indian bowlers ran through Thailand's lower order. Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/10), Shafali Verma (1/10) and Sneh Rana (1/16) were the other wicket-takers. Earlier, asked to bat, Shafali Verma was at her detrimental best, top-scoring 42 off 28 deliveries, with five fours and a six.
With vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Verma shared 38 runs in 4.3 overs before the former was dismissed off Phannita Maya. Verma continued her attacking approach but fell to off-spinner Sornnarin Tippoch's flighted delivery, while skipper Naruemol Chaiwai caught her short mid-wicket. Most dismissals were gifts to Thai bowlers as the Indian batters gave their wickets away after getting starts.
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Jemimah Rodrigues (27) was next, lofting one straight to Rosenan Kanoh at long-on off Thipatcha Putthawong. Tippoch then scalped a couple of wickets consecutively, reducing India to 132/5 in the 18th. First, she trapped wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh leg-before, and an over later, she got rid of Harmanpreet after she tried to go over the cover boundary.
Harmanpreet, returning to lead after missing out on a couple of games due to a niggle, appeared in good shape and doctored her 30-ball 36 with four strikes to the fence. In the end, Pooja Vastrakar struck t a quick 13-ball 17 with a six, taking India close to the 150-run mark. Tippoch was the best Thai bowler, with figures of 3/24. India made three changes from its last game's playing XI, with Harmanpreet, Renuka Thakur and Radha Yadav replacing S Meghana, Meghna Singh and Kiran Navgire.
(With inputs from PTI)
