Sri Lanka clinches their first-ever Women's Asia Cup title by defeating India in a thrilling final

The Captain’s stellar batting performances led Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory, showcasing their dominance over the defending champions

Sri Lanka Women's team take a victory lap after the Asia Cup win /

By PPriscilla Rotich

Sri Lanka clinched their first women's Asia Cup title in Dambulla by defeating defending champions India with an eight-wicket victory. This loss marked only the second time in nine Asia Cup editions (WODI and WT20I) that India has been defeated in a final. In the 2018 final in Kuala Lumpur, India was defeated by Bangladesh.

Chasing a target of 166, Sri Lanka, led by Athapaththu and Samarawickrama, reached the target with Athapaththu scoring 61 runs off 43 balls and Samarawickrama scoring an unbeaten 69 runs off 51 balls. The pair added 87 runs for the second wicket, with Athapaththu playing aggressively and Samarawickrama showing clever shot placements.

Athapaththu reached her fifty in 33 balls and showed aggressive batting, while Samarawickrama took 43 balls to reach her fifty and displayed intelligent stroke selections. Athapaththu's powerful hitting was evident as she took on the left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar, hitting her for two fours and a six in the first over.

In contrast, Samarawickrama relied on smart placements, including reverse sweeps off left-arm spinners Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav. However, as Sri Lanka approached the target, Samarawickrama also increased her aggression, hitting a six off Yadav. Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu said that she was “really happy with the team’s performance, especially the batting”, adding: “This isn’t a one-man show. Finally, we win the Asia Cup”. 

Despite a celebratory moment for India when Deepti bowled out Athapaththu, Samarawickrama found support in Kavisha Dilhari, who scored 30 runs off 16 balls to guide Sri Lanka to victory. Credit is also due to the Sri Lankan bowlers for restricting the Indian batters. Mandhana's fifty, supported by Rodrigues and Ghosh, had propelled India to a competitive total of 165 for six. However, the Indian batters struggled against the Sri Lankan spinners, with only one pacer included in the Sri Lankan lineup.

The slow pitch added to the Indian batters' challenges, as evident from Verma's struggles to time her shots. Mandhana had a stroke of luck when she was dropped at covers and she capitalized on it with some beautiful shots. However, other Indian batters found it difficult to adapt to the slowness of the pitch. Although India found some momentum with aggressive partnerships, the run-out of Rodrigues and the dismissal of Mandhana halted their progress. Ghosh's quick innings, including a big six off Dilhari, pushed India past the 160-run mark in partnership with Pooja Vastrakar.