India Start Favourites Against Sri Lanka In Pursuit Of 7th Women's Asia Cup Title

14.10.2022 - 11:05 sports.ndtv.com

A ruthless Indian team would look to reassert its supremacy and aim to win an unprecedented seventh Asia Cup title when it clashes with Sri Lanka in the final on Saturday.

The tournament brought to fore India's depth as the younger crop of players has shouldered the burden of taking the team to the final without any tangible contribution from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana.

Such has been the impact of the Indian team, that skipper Harmanpreet played only four games (81 runs) and in total faced a only 72 balls in those matches.

Even Mandhana, who led in three games, skipped one game and didn't need to contribute much. The biggest takeaway from a tournament like this is that Indian team's junior members could react to pressure situations in a perfect manner when they were thrown at the deep end of the pool.

cricket India Women cup Harmanpreet Kaur Smriti Mandhana India Sri Lanka Pakistan

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was on Wednesday ruled out of the ongoing Women's Big Bash League due to a back injury according to her side Melbourne Renegades. Harmanpreet, the reigning WBBL player of the tournament had missed her side's opening two matches due to international commitments as she led India at the Asia Cup, winning the title.

It's Official! BCCI Gives Formal Go Ahead To Women's Indian Premier League

The much-anticipated Women's IPL will finally see the light of the day as the tournament was approved by the General Body of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday at the 91st Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. In an official media release issued by the board, it was confirmed that the tournament will indeed be held. "The General Body approved to conduct the Women's Indian Premier League," stated the release.

World Cup Win Is Also Not Very Far Now: Deepti Sharma After Asia Cup Triumph

A World Cup win is not very far now, India's star all-rounder Deepti Sharma declared after the team's record-extending seventh Women's Asia Cup title triumph on Saturday. Barring an aberration against Pakistan that came courtesy some bizarre planning and experiments, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side ruled the roost in the continental T20 tournament. The final against Sri Lanka turned out to be a one-sided affair as they restricted the islanders to a below-par 65/9 en route to an eight-wicket victory.

Watch: Team India's Ecstatic Celebrations After Women's Asia Cup Triumph

India hammered Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in Sylhet to clinch a seventh Women's Asia Cup title on Saturday. After restricting Sri Lanka to a total of 65/9, India chased down the total inside nine overs. After the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side lifted the title, the Board of Control for Cricket in India shared a sneak peek of the team's celebrations in Sylhet. The video starts with the players standing in a huddle, with their backs against the trophy. However, it didn't take long for the celebrations to get out of hands as the players started dancing to ecstatic chants.

Not a good batting display: Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu on Women's Asia Cup final loss

Athapaththu expressed her disappointment with the failure of the batting unit in the team's first Asia Cup final appearance since the inception of the tournament in 2004. She also mentioned that the team had a tough day on the ground and could not stick to their batting plans as a team. The Sri Lankan also was optimistic about the learnings they have had from the tournament that they can apply in the T20 Women's World Cup to be played in four months' time.

Harmanpreet Kaur Registers This Big T20I Record During Women's Asia Cup Final

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur added another feather to her hat after she surpassed New Zealand all-rounder Suzie Bates to become the most capped Women's T20I player in the history of the game. The 33-year-old made her 137th appearance in the final of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh on Saturday. Harmanpreet played her 136th T20I against Thailand in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup to level the record with Bates. The New Zealander is now placed second on the list with 136 matches in T20Is. Bates has scored 3613 runs with a century to her name.