Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma easily chased down the target in less than 11 overs.
New Delhi: India’s women’s cricket team secured a resounding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Women’s Asia Cup semifinal at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla on Friday, advancing to the final of the Women’s Asia Cup for the ninth time.
A formidable win against Bangladesh takes #TeamIndia into the Final and makes it 4⃣ wins in 4⃣ matches
Scorecard
https://t.co/JwoMEaSoyn#INDvBAN | #WomensAsiaCup2024 | #ACC | #SemiFinal pic.twitter.com/2E1htJVcCp
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 26, 2024
Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana won the toss and elected to bat first, but her decision didn’t seem to be convincing enough as the batters failed miserably against the Indian bowling attack. Pacer Renuka Thakur set the tone with a burst of three wickets during the powerplay phase. Bangladesh was restricted to 80/8 in the first semifinal match, thanks to a stellar performance by Renuka, who bowled an impressive four-over spell with figures of 4-1-10-3. Radha Yadav also played a crucial role, taking three key wickets to support the effort.
In response, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma chased down the target effortlessly in under 11 overs. Verma played a measured innings, taking her time as there was no pressure in the run chase, while Mandhana seized the initiative with a well-crafted half-century.
Both Smriti and Shafali remained unbeaten in the chase, with Mandhana scoring 55* off 39 deliveries and Verma contributing 28* off 28 balls.
India will have to wait to find out their final opponent, as the second semifinal clash between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take place on Friday at 7 PM IST.
