July 28th 2024.
On a sunny Sunday in Dambulla, Sri Lanka's women's cricket team made history by winning their first ever Asia Cup title. Led by the explosive batting of captain Chamari Athapaththu and the steady performance of Harshitha Samarawickrama, the resilient Sri Lankan team defeated defending champions India by eight wickets.
This was the second time in nine editions across formats that India had lost a final in the Asia Cup. Their last defeat was in 2018 against Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur. With a strong target of 166 set by India, Sri Lanka's Athapaththu and Samarawickrama took charge and reached the total in just 18.4 overs.
The partnership between Athapaththu and Samarawickrama was a study in contrasts, with Athapaththu's aggressive style complemented by Samarawickrama's calm and clever shot selection. Athapaththu's half-century came in just 33 balls, while Samarawickrama took 43 balls to reach the same milestone. Their partnership of 87 runs ensured that Sri Lanka stayed ahead of their opponents throughout the match.
The highlight of Athapaththu's innings was her stunning assault on left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar, whom she smashed for two fours and a six in just one over. Samarawickrama, on the other hand, lacked the power of her senior teammate but made up for it with her clever placement, including some impressive reverse sweeps off left-arm spinners Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav.
Despite a brief setback when Athapaththu was bowled by Deepti, Samarawickrama found a new partner in Kavisha Dilhari. The duo added an unbeaten 73 runs off just 40 balls for the third wicket, securing a comfortable victory for their team.
The Sri Lankan bowlers also deserve credit for their role in stifling India's usually free-flowing batters. Despite a strong half-century by Smriti Mandhana, the Indian team struggled against the plethora of spinners in the Sri Lankan lineup. In fact, the home team had only one pacer in their squad, with the rest being slow bowlers.
The slow pitch also played to Sri Lanka's advantage as they constantly frustrated the Indian batters, including the usually aggressive Shafali Verma. Mandhana, who was dropped on 10 by Samarawickrama, made the most of her luck and played some gorgeous shots, especially against pacer Udeshika Prabodhani.
However, Verma's dismissal soon after the Power Play ended and the slow nature of the pitch proved to be a challenge for the rest of the Indian batters. While Mandhana managed to adjust her game and reach her half-century in just 36 balls, her teammates Harmanpreet Kaur and Uma Chetry struggled to get going.
With India at 87 for three in the 12th over, it was up to Jemimah Rodrigues to provide some aggression in partnership with Mandhana. The duo added 41 runs off just 25 balls for the fourth wicket before Rodrigues was run out, followed by Mandhana's dismissal at 133 for five in 16.5 overs.
Richa Ghosh then stepped up and played a swift innings, including a massive slog-swept six off Dilhari. She was well-supported by Pooja Vastrakar as they added 31 runs for the sixth wicket, taking India past the 160-run mark. However, it was not enough to stop Sri Lanka from claiming their maiden Asia Cup title.
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