India has beaten Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, on Sunday.
Defending 184 runs, Sree Charani has spun a web with her wily left-arm spin, picking up four wickets. Deepti Sharma, who has been the leading wicket-taker coming into the game, did a superb job on the night once again.
Earlier, Shafali Verma (68) and Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (59) produced a symphony of power and grace but Sri Lanka still reined in India to 183 for five.
Once elected to bat, Mandhana, who hit her 36th T20I fifty, and Shafali, whose 24-ball fifty was the fastest in women’s Asia Cup, shut the Lankans out of the match.
Shafali eclipsed the 25-ball fifty Mandhana made in the tournament’s 2022 edition.
The 22-year-old, who added 129 runs in 12.5 overs with Mandhana, made her intentions clear from the outset, pulling and driving with power.
Shafali targeted Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu in her first over itself, creaming her for 6, 6 and 4 as India reached 57 in the Power Play segment and 98 in at the half-way mark without losing any wicket.
Initially, Mandhana concentrated on giving support to Shafali, reaching 23 off 22 balls. But once her younger partner reached 50, the left-hander shifted the gears easily.
She swept Nilakshi Silva for a six, and then eked out a maximum off Chamudi Praboda, a well-timed strike sailing over long-on.
But her signature shot was an inside out cover drive off Athapaththu for a boundary as Mandhana reached her fifty in 35 balls.
However, the burgeoning stand was snapped when Shafali slapped Praboda straight to Athapaththu at the edge of the circle.
As it often happens, another wicket followed the first breakthrough. Mandhana was caught in a yes-no situation with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and eventually sacrificed her wicket via a run out.
It was the third time Mandhana fell victim to run out in this tournament.
India were 140 for two after 15 overs and needed a few more runs to complete the dominance over Lankans, who looked a lot more chirpier after those two wickets.
But in the last five overs India only could manage 43 runs as the big-hitting Richa Ghosh (17, 13b) was dismissed just when she started to accelerate.
The Lankan bowlers too deserve some credit for discovering better lines in the business end of the Indian innings.
However, India still managed to get close to 200, courtesy that early duet from Mandhana and Shafali.
Source: Indian Express
-Agencies
