IND vs SL Women’s Asia Cup 2024 Highlights: Sri Lanka beats India to lift maiden title

“Really happy with the team’s performance, especially the batting. Happy with Kavisha and Harshitha. This isn’t a one-man show. Finally we win the Asia Cup, I’m very happy. No never (on seeing such a huge crowd), thank you. This win is important as we have to inspire the young cricketers as well. I enjoy my cricket all the time, I have to lead from the front. We always talk positive things in the dressing room, special thanks to the coach. Our next target is World Cup, but one game at a time. I hope to play till next 50-over World Cup,” she said.

“We played good cricket throughout the tournament. I think it was a good score but the PowerPlay didn’t go our way. There are many things to improve, but we will remember this day. Sri Lanka has been playing really good cricket, and they played well today as well,” the skipper said.

The skipper ends the tournament as the highest scorer as she collects the award.

Harshitha Samarawickrama rightfully wins the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the final. “I’m very happy I scored in this match. I’ve had some failures in the past, but glad to have scored against India,” she said.

“When Chamari went out, we wanted to play a positive game,” she added.

Harshitha Samarawickrama’s 69 off 51 balls summarises the innings that powered Sri Lanka through to the title. The charge was started by skipper Chamari Athapaththu who also scored an important fifty, till she was removed by Deepti Sharma. After that, the Indian bowlers ran out of solutions to prevent the boundaries as well as the ones and twos. A 16-ball 30 by Kavisha Dilhari at the end of the innings helped Samarawickrama on the other end in the chase.

Pooja bowling out. Two runs, now six needed. A dot ball. THAT’S A SIX! SRI LANKA HAS WON THE ASIA CUP! The host beats India by eight wickets as Dilhari hits a maximum to end the match!

Radha bowling out. First ball and a SIX from Samarawickrama! Followed by a FOUR over the covers! Only 15 needed now! The Sri Lankan dugout is celebrating as the side inches towards the title with another FOUR! Just eight runs needed!

Tanuja bowling out. Sri Lanka are nailing the running between the wickets as they take another two. India is not being able to prevent the ones and twos, which are helping Sri Lanka’s cause. Samarawickrama brings up her 50!

Deepti bowling out. Great fielding from Renuka to save some important runs. Harmanpreet drops a catch! The ball bounces off her hands as Sri Lanka breathes a sigh of relief. Getting Samarawickrama out would have been huge for India. Deepti stretches and dives to prevent a quick single perhaps. But Dilhari ends the over with a FOUR. SL needs 34 off 24.

Radha with her third. A single to start the over. Samarawickrama on strike. Dilhari goes big and hits a SIX towards deep mid wicket! 10 off the over. SL needs 43 off 30.

Pooja back with the ball and she concedes a FOUR in the first ball. A SIX to follow as Tanuja leaps with an audacious attempt to keep the ball out, but in vain. Great piece of running as the batters get two runs. There seemed to be a sound there as the ball carried to Richa behind the wickets, but umpire not interested. A single to end the over.

Tanuja with her third over. Dilhari is the new batter at the crease. India taking its chances as the umpire goes upstairs for a weak run out shout. The batter is inside the crease. Two runs to end the over. SL needs 67 off 42.

Deepti bowling her third. A lackadaisical fielding attitude isn’t helping India’s cause. A powerful shot from Chamari races for another FOUR towards long off. Another FOUR as Chamari hits a shot straight down the ground. CHAMARI IS OUT! HUGE WICKET FOR INDIA! Deepti cleans out the stumps to give her side a huge break!

Tanuja with her second over. A wide ball from the tweaker. Such is the batting that a few fans have been spotted on the trees, brandishing the Sri Lanka flag, enjoying the match! Sri Lanka needs 81 off 54.

Renuka back for her third over. Great partnership going on for Sri Lanka now. India needs to break it if it wants to get back on track. Great fielding from Pooja as she saves five runs! She had taken the catch but she let go of the ball before she crossed the boundary ropes! Chamari is in hot form as she reaches 50 with a FOUR! 

Radha with her second over. Another FOUR for Sri Lanka as Samarawickrama sweeps it towards third man. A no ball from Radha, free hit for the batter. Chamari hits big down the ground and hits a SIX. A dot ball to end as Shafali stops the ball.

Deepti with her second over. A misfield from an Indian fielder at short fine leg gives the chasing side a FOUR. Chamari tries to slap it towards point for another boundary but a fielder is there. A single to end the over.

Radha Yadav with her first over. Great running between the wickets from the batters. Chamari’s onslaught continues as she cuts it towards third man for a FOUR. A dot ball to end the over.

Tanuja comes in to bowl her first over of the match. Chamari turns, and she turns well to hit it for a SIX over square leg. Two dot balls later, Chamar goes big again and that’s another SIX. She sends the ball sailing over deep mid wicket. Another bullet from the Sri Lanka skipper’s bat as she smashes a FOUR towards point. A dot to end the PowerPlay but 16 off this over.

Pooja with her second over. Great piece of fielding in the deep from Uma Chetry. Just five off the over.

Deepti Sharma bowls her first over. Gives away six runs.

Renuka with her second over. Chamari with a FOUR! A couple of singles in the over. Another FOUR to end the over by Chamari!

Pooja Vastrakar with the ball. What a mix up as Sri Lanka literally gifts a WICKET to India! Vishmi goes for the run but Chamari doesn’t move at all. An easy run out for the Women in Blue to execute! Harshitha Samarawickrama at the crease. 

Renuka Singh with the first over. Vishmi gets Sri Lanka off the mark with a single. Chamari gets the first FOUR with a beautiful shot through the covers. A dot to end the over, five off it.

It’s skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne.

Smriti Mandhana did well with the bat, once again. She scored 60 off 47 balls. Cameos from Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh also helped India get over the line and post a commendable target. There was a moment when there was a certain sound off Richa’s bat as she was caught behind by the wicketkeeper but the umpire thought otherwise. This marked the start of the Indian batter’s 14-ball 30, with a strike rate over 200. Now, it’s time for the Indian bowlers to defend this score.

Richa on strike. Prabodhani with the ball. First ball, FOUR. Richa swings her bat and it gets an edge and over the fielder towards third man. Second ball, a dot ball. Third ball, the batters take two runs, Richa back on strike. Fourth ball, WICKET! Richa tries to be creative and scoop it over the keeper but doesn’t get it right. She caught out by the wicketkeeper. Radha Yadav on strike. Fifth ball, a single. Pooja to face the final ball of the innings. Sixth ball, a dot. That’s all from India as Sri Lanka needs to chase down 166 in 20 overs.

Dilhari is back. That’s a clear edge but the umpire doesn’t budge! Valid frustration from the Sri Lankans as Richa hits them for a FOUR in the next ball. She goes big and down the ground as the ball bounces once and goes over the ropes for another FOUR. A huge SIX from Richa as India brings up 150 on the board. A very risky two on the last ball as Pooja seems to be just inside her crease. Third umpire will decide. And Pooja is not out.

Richa is let off the hook as she is dropped. Pooja Vastrakar is at the crease now as the new batter. Sugandika bowls out.

Dilhari with the ball. Jemimah might just have gotten run out. It has gone up to the third umpire and that’s another WICKET for Sri Lanka. Jemimah is quite far from her crease. Not the way to end the innings with the bat in your 100th T20I! Richa Ghosh the newest batter at the crease. And that she’s off the mark as she lobs it over the covers for a FOUR. A huge WICKET for Sri Lanka as Smriti is caught at deep mid wicket by Chamari herself. The batter walks back for 60. Can this be the turning point for the host?

Chamari back for her third over. That’s a no ball as the bowler’s delivery bounces twice on the pitch. Jemimah doesn’t hold back and smashes it for a huge SIX. 

Inoshi with the ball. First ball and Jemimah hits big towards mid wicket for a FOUR. A misfield by the Sri Lankans as that’s another FOUR from Jemimah’s bat. 

Sugandika with the ball. Smriti hits a FOUR towards point. 10 runs off the over as India brings up 100. 

Smriti brings up her 50! Jemimah Rodrigues is the newest batter on the crease. Inoshi with the ball. That was a brilliant athletic attempt from Inoshi as she literally flew to catch out Jemimah off her own ball but she misses it. Only three off this over.

Nisansala with the ball. Smriti inches towards another half century as she hits a FOUR towards square leg. A third umpire call for stumping. Smriti gets her feet down on the ground at the nick of time to stay at the crease for a bit longer. Harmanpreet joins the hitting party as she sweeps towards mid wicket for another FOUR. Great catch as skipper Harmanpreet is out! Another WICKET for Sri Lanka. 

Chamari back for her second. It’s just singles for India now as all the shots towards the boundaries seem to find the fielders. A FOUR after some time as Smriti makes space and goes inside out towards deep cover.

Sugandika back with the ball. The Indian batters taking it slow, perhaps settling the nerves after the fall of two quick wickets.

First ball for skipper Chamari Athapaththu and she removes Uma! Another WICKET as the Sri Lankan captain finds the batter’s leg before wicket. Great placement from Smriti as she finds another FOUR, this time towards deep mid wicket. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur the newest batter at the crease. A dot ball to end as just six and a wicket from the over.

Sachini Nisansala with her first over. A couple of singles. Good running from the batters as they take a two. First FOUR for Uma as she goes big down the ground, one bounce and a boundary. A single to end the over.

Dilhari with the ball. First WICKET for Sri Lanka! Shafali comes down the track but misses the ball entirely. The ball finds her pads and the umpire raises the finger. Uma Chetry comes out to bat for the first time in this tournament. Uma gets off the mark with a single off her second ball. A misfield allows Smriti to take a comfortable two.

Prabodhani back with her second over. A single to start the over. Smriti hits it for a FOUR as she swings her bat all the way back and the ball races towards mid wicket. Great innovation there from the Indian vice-captain as she reverse scoops it behind and over the wicketkeeper and towards fine leg for another FOUR. A dot ball, and then another FOUR from Smriti. She flicks it off her pads and finds the ropes towards deep mid wicket. A dot ball to end the over and a great one to finish the PowerPlay.

Another new bowler at crease as Kavisha Dilhari comes into the attack. Shafali tries to find the boundary towards square leg but the ball finds a fielder after a bounce. Smriti dropped! The batter is dropped at 10 as the fielder at cover point fails to take the catch. Next ball, Smriti smashes the ball towards point for a FOUR.

Sugandika Kumari replaces Prabodhani. A single to start the over. Great sound off the bat as Smriti tries to square cut it, but a fielder is there. Great fielding from the Sri Lankan fielder at mid off to stop the boundary off Shafali’s shot. Just three runs off the over.

Inoshi with her second. Smriti gets her first FOUR as she steps back the slightest and cuts it past the fielder and towards point. A couple of dots to follow. Smriti ends the over with a FOUR as she sweeps a very wide ball towards fine leg.

Udeshika Prabhodhani with the ball. Shafali opens the face of her bat and drives it towards point for a FOUR. A big appeal from the bowler but a replay shows that the delivery might just be pitching outside leg stump. A let off for Shafali. A single for Smriti and she cuts it towards point. A dot to end the over. 

It’s Inoshi Priyadharhani with the ball. Three dot balls later, Shafali sweeps it towards square leg for a FOUR. The batter makes some space for herself and takes a single after hitting the ball towards mid wicket. A wide by Inoshi as Smriti leaves it. A dot to finish the first over.

Jemimah Rodrigues is playing in her 100th T20I. A perfect way to commemorate that would be to clinch the title!

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma will hope to start off well.

The players are out for the national anthems as we are moments away from the final.

A sea of umbrellas can be seen all around the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium. Will rain play a spoilsport in this final?

“It’s always been adapting to the changes, sticking to the routine, and upping my game every time,” she said ahead of the final against Sri Lanka.

“We keep doing the simple things correctly, and that will be key for us ahead of the World Cup. For us, we are looking at consistency,” she added on the upcoming T20 World Cup in October.

India XI: Shafali, Smriti, Uma Chetry, Harmanpreet, Jemimah, Richa, Deepti, Vastrakar, Radha, Tanuja, Renuka

Sri Lanka XI: Vishmi, Chamari, Samarawickrama, Nilakshika, Hasini, Dilhari, Anushka, Sugandika, Inoshi, Prabodhani, Nisansala

India is unchanged in the final. 

Chamari says she’s happy to bowl first as she’s more confident for the bowling unit

Chamari says her elbow, which is heavily taped up, is 80% okay

3pm and 7pm: There are India vs Sri Lanka fixtures scheduled for the day. 

One - the Asia Cup final in Dambulla at 3pm

The other, the 2nd T20I between the men’s teams in Kandy at 7pm. 

Sportstar will bring you live updates from both games

Chamari Athapaththu has once again led Sri Lanka from the front. She has failed to cross 40 only in one innings so far, enjoying a great campaign in the tournament where she has traditionally not fired as per usual. 

However, the inconsistency of the rest of the batting order will hurt Sri Lanka, as one saw against Pakistan in the semifinal. India’s bowling order is imperious and should Chamari fall early, the writing could be on the wall for this fixture. 

India and Sri Lanka have been a cut above the rest in this tournament and it does come down to a lot of incredible individual performances powering the side.

India and Sri Lanka have clashed 24 times in Women’s T20Is. India has won 19, Sri Lanka has won 4. 

The T20 Asia Cup h2h is even more stark. In four meetings, India has come out on top all four times. 

Defending champion India will look to translate its overwhelming dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup to a record-extending eighth title while facing a feisty Sri Lanka in the final in Dambulla on Sunday.

India has lorded over its opponents in this continental showpiece – hammering Pakistan by seven wickets and followed it up with facile wins over UAE (78 runs), Nepal (82 runs), and Bangladesh (10 wickets).

India’s top-order batters and bowlers fired in tandem, not giving their rivals even an iota of chance to mount a fight.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka too is undefeated in this event and it also has scored the biggest victory in terms of runs – a 144-run toweling of Malaysia in the group stage.

The primary reason behind its supremacy is the fine form of skipper Chamari Athapaththu, the leading run-scorer with 243 runs.

Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Dominant India faces Sri Lanka in final, eyes eighth title

Defending champion India will look to translate its overwhelming dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup to a record-extending eighth title while facing a feisty Sri Lanka in the final in Dambulla on Sunday.

You can watch the Women’s Asia Cup on the Star Sports Network and live streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app. 

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the Women’s Asia Cup. After a little more than 10 days, we’re down to the final of the continental tournament which will see the tournament’s two best teams - India and Sri Lanka - fight it out fior the trophy.