Renuka Singh’s pace and a blazing knock from vice-captain Smriti Mandhana propelled India into the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 with a resounding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Friday.
India has advanced to the final for the ninth time in the tournament, outplaying Bangladesh in all aspects of the game at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. The 2018 champions struggled to gain any momentum, and their efforts ultimately proved futile.
9⃣/9⃣ finals!
India have stormed into yet another final of the Asia Cup.
Can they lift their 8th title on Sunday? 🏆
📸: ACC | #WomensAsiaCup2024 pic.twitter.com/aWj1gsdYaZ
— Women’s CricZone (@WomensCricZone) July 26, 2024
Chasing a modest target of 81, the Indian opening duo went all out from the first over. Mandhana confidently found the boundary on the fourth ball of the innings, setting the tone. Shafali Verma joined in, showcasing her aggressive stroke play and consistently finding boundaries.
In the fourth over, Mandhana hit a powerful six over deep backward square leg, demonstrating her intent to finish the game quickly. While Bangladesh struggled on the same pitch, the Indian players thrived, making it seem like a different venue for batters.
Mandhana continued her dominance with a series of boundaries, while Shafali rotated the strike and supported her partner. Mandhana was caught at backward point on 35, but Jahanara Alam’s overstep in the 8th over allowed her to continue. Shafali survived a scare when she attempted a slog sweep but saw her catch dropped by the fielder.
Mandhana hit back-to-back fours off Nahida Akter and celebrated her 25th T20I half-century. India completed their chase with nine overs to spare, with Mandhana unbeaten on 55 and Shafali scoring 26*.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s decision to bat first backfired as their batters struggled against India’s bowlers during the powerplay. Renuka Singh’s pace dismantled Bangladesh’s top order, taking three wickets for just 10 runs. She removed Dilara Akter (6), Murshida Khatun (4), and Ishma Tanjim (8) in her three overs.
Skipper Nigar Sultana tried to lead a comeback with a cautious approach, but wickets continued to fall after the introduction of spin duo Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav. Radha’s magical left-arm spin took three wickets and derailed Bangladesh’s middle order, while Deepti chipped in with a crucial wicket and maintained tight control.
Radha dismissed Nigar Sultana for 32, and Shorna Akter’s unbeaten 19 helped Bangladesh reach a final score of 80/8.
Brief Score: Bangladesh 80/8 (Nigar Sultana 32; Renuka Singh 3-10, Radha Yadav 3-14) vs India 80/0 (Smriti Mandhana 55*, Shafali Verma 26*).
(With ANI Inputs)
