Renuka Singh’s fiery pace and a scintillating knock by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana propelled India to the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 with a decisive 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Friday.
India secured their ninth appearance in the tournament’s final, completely outclassing Bangladesh in every department at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. The 2018 champions struggled to find any momentum, but their efforts were ultimately in vain.
Chasing a modest target of 81, the Indian openers started aggressively from the very first over. Mandhana effortlessly found the boundary on the fourth ball of the opening over, setting the tone for the chase. Shafali Verma soon joined in, showcasing her powerful stroke play and hitting boundaries with ease.
In the fourth over, Mandhana launched a ball into the stands over deep backward square leg, clearly signaling her intent to finish the game early. While Bangladesh’s batters found the surface challenging, the Indian duo thrived, making it seem like a completely different pitch.
Mandhana continued to dominate, frequently finding the boundary, while Shafali smartly rotated the strike, allowing her partner to unleash carnage in Dambulla. Luck was on the side of the Indian batters; Mandhana was caught at backward point on 35, but Jahanara Alam’s overstep in the eighth over nullified the dismissal. Shafali also had a scare when her catch was dropped in the next over.
Mandhana hit consecutive fours off Nahida Akter and raised her bat for her 25th T20I half-century. India sealed their victory with nine overs to spare, with Mandhana and Shafali remaining unbeaten on 55* and 26* respectively.
Earlier in the innings, Bangladesh’s decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired as their batters struggled against India’s disciplined bowling. Renuka Singh’s pace dismantled Bangladesh’s top order, claiming three wickets in the powerplay, including Dilara Akter (6), Murshida Khatun (4), and Ishma Tanjim (8).
Skipper Nigar Sultana attempted to stabilize the innings with a cautious approach, but wickets continued to fall at the other end. The introduction of spinners Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav further troubled Bangladesh. Radha’s left-arm spin devastated the middle order, while Deepti bowled economically and took a wicket in her four-over spell.
Radha’s three-wicket haul completely derailed Bangladesh’s innings. After dismissing Nigar Sultana, who scored 32 off 51 balls, Shorna Akter added some late runs with an unbeaten 19, pushing Bangladesh to a total 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*)
