Cricket

Dambulla [Sri Lanka]: Renuka Singh's pace and blazing knock from vice-captain Smriti Mandhana allowed India to punch their ticket for the final of the Women's Asia Cup 2024 following a resounding 10-wicket win over Bangladesh on Friday. India has entered the final for the ninth time in the tournament by outplaying Bangladesh in all facets of the game at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. The 2018 champions tottered to find any sort of momentum on their side, but all of their efforts eventually went in vain. While chasing a paltry target of 81, the Indian opening duo went all guns blazing right from the first over. Mandhana played it through the line to find the fence with ease and pick up India's first boundary on the fourth ball of the first over. Shafali joined the party and put her destructive stroke play on display by finding boundaries without breaking a sweat. In the fourth over, Mandhana smoked the ball into the stand over the deep backward square leg to prove her intentions of taking India home early. While Bangladesh suffered on the batting surface, Indian players thrived on the same pitch, making it feel like a different venue for batters. Mandhana continued to assert her dominance by dealing with boundaries. Shafali rotated the strike and allowed her partner to spread carnage in Dambulla. Fortune was on the side of both batters. Mandhana was caught at the backward point on 35, but Jahanara Alam overstepped the line in the 8th over. Shafali survived a scare in the next when she attempted to go for a slog sweep but saw her catch dropped by the fielder. Mandhana struck back-to-back fours off Nahida Akter and raised her bat for her 25th half-century in the T20I format. India capped off their impressive display by chasing th ...