Sri Lanka clinched their first-ever Women's Asia Cup title, defeating India by eight wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Sunday.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, India posted a formidable total of 165 for 6, thanks to the determined efforts of Smriti Mandhana (60) and a late blitz from Richa Ghosh (30). Mandhana anchored the innings with her 47-ball 60, laced with ten boundaries, steering India to a strong position after an impressive start.
India began the innings on a high, racing to 44 for no loss by the end of the powerplay. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers, led by the disciplined Kavisha Dilhari (2/36), staged a strong comeback to contain the Indian batting line-up.
Ghosh's quickfire 30 off 14 balls, featuring four fours and a six, provided the necessary push towards the end, enabling India to surpass the 150-run mark.
In response, Sri Lanka's chase was spearheaded by a brilliant innings from Chamari Athapaththu and a resilient knock from Harshita Samarawickrama.
Despite the early setback of Athapaththu's dismissal for 61 in the 12th over, Harshita's counter-attacking half-century and Dilhari's quickfire 30 guided Sri Lanka home with an over to spare.
Athapaththu's 61 laid the foundation, but it was Harshita who turned the tide, making up for her earlier fielding lapses with a commanding 69 not out off 50 balls, including two sixes and six fours. Dilhari's unbeaten 30 off 16 balls provided the perfect finish, as the duo celebrated amidst a jubilant Dambulla crowd.
Match Summary
India: 165 for 6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 60, Richa Ghosh 30; Kavisha Dilhari 2/36)
Sri Lanka: 166 for 2 in 19 overs (Harshita Samarawickrama 69*, Chamari Athapaththu 61; Renuka Thakur Singh 1/30)
Playing XIs
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Uma Chetry, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Renuka Thakur Singh
Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (w), Hasini Perera, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sachini Nisansala
