Smriti Mandhana matches Beth Mooney's historic T20I record with stellar Asia Cup final performance

Indian women's cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana scored 60 off 47 balls India posted 165/6 in the Women's Asia Cup 2024 final. Sri Laka are currently chasing 166 to win their first-ever Women's Asia Cup title.

While wickets kept falling from one, Mandhana held the fort at the other hand and made a crucial contribution of 60. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed cheaply for just 11. Also, India reached their total with crucial contributions from Jemimah Rodrigues (29) and Richa Ghosh (30 off 14).

Sri Lanks have made a good start in the chase and the target looks well in their grasp. The Indian bowlers need to launch a fightback if the Women in Blue are to win their eighth Asia Cup title.

India and Bangladesh women's national teams are the only two sides to win the title. Apart from India, Bangladesh won the title in 2018, beating India in the final. India are the defending champions as in the 2022 edition they beat Sri Lanka in the final.

Smriti Mandhana's Batting Prowess In Knockouts - Registers Most Fifty-Plus Scores in Women's T20I Knockouts

5 - Smriti Mandhana (15 Inns)
5 - Beth Mooney(11 Inns)
3 - Harmanpreet Kaur (16 Inns)
3 - Meg Lanning(17 Inns)

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Meanwhile, Mandhana has now topped the list with the most fifty-plus scores in Women's T20I knockouts. She has scored her fifth fifty-plus score in 15 innings. Australia batter Beth Mooney is placed second on the list with five such knocks. Harmanpreet Kaur has three fifty-plus scores in 16 innings and Meg Lanning has three in 17 innings.

Smriti Mandhana is also the leading run-getter in Women's international cricket in 2024. So far she has scored 1016 runs. Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu skipper who has been in terrific form in international cricket this year can add to her tally as she is currently batting in the final. Chamari has scored 295 runs before the Asia Cup final and can get past the 350 run-mark as well. She is already past the 50-run mark in the final.

Most runs in Women's Internationals in 2024

1016 - Smriti Mandhana
1007 - Laura Wolvaardt
1002 - Chamari Athapaththu

India are seven-time champions of the Women's Asia Cup and they have been unbeaten so far having registered big victories. However, given how Sri Lanka are playing at the moment, they are the favorites to win the final. The combined effort from the bowling group helped them limit India to a reasonable score and the Lankan skipper now holds the key for her side.

Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have scored well more than 100 runs and a healthy strike rate of over 140, giving India solidity and quick starts alike at the top. However, in the final, when India needed a good start from their openers, they could not. The management could be even more pleased with the way bowlers responded to the challenge, particularly Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh.

Deepti is the leading wicket-taker of this event with nine wickets and Renuka is third on the chart with seven scalps. Also, their economy rate across four matches has been brilliant – 4.37 and 4.31 respectively. It ensured that the opposition batters had no breathing space at the top or in the middle-overs, phases when Renuka and Deepti often operate. The two senior bowlers need to turn things around for India and one of them needs to take the key wicket of the Lankan skipper.

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