India Women secured their eighth Asia Cup title with a 72-run victory over Sri Lanka. Shafali Verma (68) and Smriti Mandhana (59) set a record opening stand before Sree Charani's 4/20 sealed the dominant win in Dubai.
India Women captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised her team for maintaining high standards throughout the tournament after they defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final to clinch their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, in Dubai on Sunday.
India produced a dominant all-round display to clinch the continental title, posting 183/5 before bowling Sri Lanka out for 111 in 20 overs. India’s batting effort was led by openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who put together a record 129-run partnership for the first wicket. Shafali was particularly aggressive, smashing 68 off 39 balls with nine fours and two sixes, while Mandhana contributed 59 off 39 deliveries as India raced to a strong total. With the ball, Sree Charani led the attack with an impressive 4/20 from four overs, while Deepti Sharma chipped in with 3/19 from her four-over spell.
'We Played to Our Standards': Player Reactions
Speaking after the match, Harmanpreet Kaur said India focused on maintaining their own high standards despite Sri Lanka’s quality, praising the team’s overall performance. She also lauded openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, particularly highlighting Shafali’s contributions with both bat and ball throughout the tournament. "We know they are a great team. But we played to our standards. We set high standards for ourselves and we wanted to keep matching them. Very happy the way we all performed. [On the score] Yes, the openers did a great job for us. The way Shafali and Smriti bat like they did. Great to see someone like Shafali take responsibility through the tournament with the bat and ball," she said.
Meanwhile, G Kamalini said the achievement feels surreal and admitted she is still processing it. The 18-year-old credited the senior players for helping her develop mentally, particularly their ability to maintain the same mindset regardless of whether they score a century or get out for a duck. "It's a different feeling. I still can't digest it. I'm an 18-year-old kid. There's lot of seniors here. I learned a lot from them, mind-wise. I think the mindset the seniors have, that whether they get out on 100 or 0, they have the same mindset, so I learned that from them," she said.
Nandani Sharma said she was delighted to feature in her first major tournament for India and credited her teammates and support staff for their clear plans and confidence. She praised Deepti Sharma for delivering crucial wickets and said the team will now focus on preparation with the aim of winning the Asian Games. "This is my first major tournament with India so it feels very good. [Partnership with Kranti Gaud] I feel the credit goes to my team-mates and staff. They had made clear plans. Everyone's confidence is very high and we'll focus on our practice and hope to win the Asian Games as well. [On Deepti Sharma] She delivers wickets where we need it the most. So we knew she'll handle it. We just wanted to give a good start to the team,” she said.
Richa Ghosh praised the fans for their support and said India’s batters adapted well as the pitch became slower. She added that the team trusted their bowlers to finish the job after taking a couple of wickets, while expressing satisfaction with her role of contributing runs. "The atmosphere has been really great how the fans came out and cheered for us. At the start the ball was coming on nicely and then it started to get slower. Our batters played really well and we knew if we got a couple of wickets, we'll be able to stop them. The role I've been given, getting runs there helps the team. We'll discuss as a team how we'll celebrate. Haven't thought about it yet, the game just got over," she said.
Coach Muzumdar on Strategy and Execution
Coach Amol Muzumdar praised the players and support staff after India’s Asia Cup triumph, saying their strategy was to post a big total and utilise their three quality spinners on a slow, turning pitch. He lauded openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana for complementing each other and credited Deepti Sharma for executing the plan to dismiss Chamari Athapaththu. "Really proud of all the players and support staff. It was a fantastic pitch today and we came up good. Our batting was very strong. We started really nicely. [On batting] If you see throughout the fortnight, the pitch is a bit on the slower side and it turned quite a bit. So putting on a big score and defending it... we had three quality spinners, so that was the tactic. [On the openers] Left-right combination. Shafali has got her own style, the power, the charisma, she puts the opposition on the back foot. Smriti has got that flair, they complement each other really well. We went back to the five-match series against Sri Lanka in December and how we dismissed Chamari, who is an important player for them. That was the plan and glad Deepti executed it."
After posting 183/5, powered by Shafali Verma’s 68 and Smriti Mandhana’s 59 and their record 129-run opening stand, India’s bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 111. Sree Charani starred with 4/20, while Deepti Sharma claimed 3/19 as Sri Lanka’s chase collapsed. Shafali also recorded the fastest fifty in Women’s Asia Cup history, reaching the milestone in 24 balls. The victory capped a dominant tournament for India and extended their record as the most successful side in the competition. (ANI)
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