SL-W vs IN-W, Women’s Asia Cup 2022: India 71 for 2 (Mandhana 51*) beat Sri Lanka 65 for 9 (Ranaweera 18, Renuka 3-5, Rana 2-13) by eight wickets

In Sylhet, India defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets to win their seventh Women’s Asia Cup title with complete dominance.In the ninth over, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who scored her first half-century in the competition, completed the pitiful 66-run chase.

In a women’s tournament final, Sri Lanka’s 65 for 9 is the lowest total by a team that bats first and plays the full 20 overs. With 69 balls remaining, India set a new record for a women’s T20I title match by chasing it down.

Renuka Singh took four of Sri Lanka’s first five wickets and ended with 3-1-5-3, including the captain’s run-out. Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Sneh Rana each took two wickets. They avoided being bowled out only thanks to a defiant last-wicket partnership between No. 11 Achini Kulasuriya and Inoka Ranaweera, who scored the highest with an unbeaten 18 runs.Harmanpreet only deployed two or three fielders outside the circle because the Indian fielders had already surrounded the batters in close catching positions.

The tournament’s largest crowd, roughly 10,000, attended the final at the picturesque Sylhet International Stadium.In the fourth over, however, India had reduced Sri Lanka to 9 for 4 before half of them had even taken their seats.

India’s hat trick The accuracy of the Indian bowlers stood out in the game. 

Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani, the Sri Lankan openers, were unable to get going, and the first two overs only produced seven runs. After dribbling the ball to short third in the third over, Athapaththu ran for an almost impossible single and was well short of her crease when the throw came in, leaving for 6.

The next over saw the implosion. 

Harshitha Samarawickrama was caught behind by Renuka before Sanjeewani was run out on the next ball.Sanjeewani was caught short by Pooja Vastrakar’s throw from midwicket because of a small error in their quick single. When Hasini Perera chipped straight to Mandhana at cover, Renuka completed the team hat trick.

Renuka bowled Kavisha Dilhari in the sixth over with an in-ducker as Sri Lanka was already reeling. When Gayakwad and Rana joined the wicket-taking frenzy shortly after, 16 for 5 became 25 for 7.

Nilakshi de Silva was bowled by Gayakwad for six.After that, Rana received a gentle dismissal: The ball looped and returned to the bowler’s hands after Malsha Shehani inside-edged it back to him.

Gayakwad and Rana took one more wicket by bowling Sugandika Kumari and Oshadi Ranasinghe.

After a quiet first over, Mandhana hit Kumari through the covers for the first boundary. India rushed in a short chase. She lifted Ranasinghe over extra cover on the next over for a six, followed by a swivel pull through square leg for four.

After that, Mandhana beat Ranaweera with a lofted shot over midfield for a six, and Shafali Varma fell trying to hit a big shot and was caught for five. Mandhana persevered after gaining her fluency, and Jemimah Rodrigues fell while attempting to strangle Dilhari.

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In her subsequent over, she hit Dilhari for fours through cover and point, and she ended the chase with a six over midwicket. The India vice captain scored a half-century with that shot, which took only 25 balls.