India Advances to U19 Women’s Asia Cup Final After 4-Wicket Victory Against Sri Lanka
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Kuala Lumpur, Dec 20 (NationPress) Left-arm spinner Aayushi Shukla delivered an outstanding performance with a four-wicket haul, which laid the groundwork for India reaching the final of the U19 Women’s Asia Cup after a four-wicket triumph against Sri Lanka at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval on Friday.
Aayushi, who had previously taken three wickets in India’s Super Four victory against Bangladesh, ended with remarkable figures of 4-10, playing a crucial role in limiting Sri Lanka to just 98 runs for 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
She received solid support from fellow left-arm spinner Parunika Sisodia, who took two wickets, while Shabnam Shakil and Drithi Kesari each claimed one wicket. Except for Manudi Nanayakkara, who scored 33 runs, none of the Sri Lankan batters managed to score more than 25 runs.
During the chase, despite early dismissals of Ishwari Avasare and Sanika Chalke, G Trisha and G Kamalini kept India on course to chase down the target of 99 runs. Trisha, part of the Indian team that won the 2023 Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, scored a quickfire 32 off 24 balls, forming a 63-run partnership with G Kamalini, who contributed 28 runs off 26 balls.
However, Sri Lanka fought back as Chamudi Munasinghe dismissed Trisha, and Shashini Gimhani took out Kamalini in consecutive overs. India faced further setbacks as captain Niki Prasad and wicketkeeper Bhavika Ahire also fell cheaply.
Nevertheless, a composed Mithila Vinod struck four boundaries, including the winning runs, remaining not out at 17 off 12 balls, thereby completing India’s chase in 14.5 overs. Aayushi was honored as the Player of the Match for her exceptional four-wicket haul.
India is now set to face the winner of the Bangladesh-Nepal Super Four match in the championship clash of this inaugural tournament, scheduled to take place at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval on Sunday.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 98/9 (Manudi Nanayakkara 33; Aayushi Shukla 4-10) lost to India 102/6 (G Trisha 32, G Kamalini 28; Chamudi Munasinghe 3-16, Shashini Gimhani 2-18) by four wickets
