India secured a spot in the final of the U19 Women’s Asia Cup with a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval on Friday. Left-arm spinner Aayushi Shukla delivered a standout performance, taking 4-10 to restrict Sri Lanka to 98/9 in 20 overs.
Aayushi, who also claimed three wickets in India’s previous Super Four win over Bangladesh, dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. She received strong support from left-arm spinner Parunika Sisodia, who took two wickets, while Shabnam Shakil and Drithi Kesari grabbed one each. Sri Lanka’s Manudi Nanayakkara top-scored with 33, but no other batter reached 25.
India’s chase of 99 started shakily with early dismissals of Ishwari Avasare and Sanika Chalke. However, G Trisha and G Kamalini steadied the innings with a crucial 63-run partnership. Trisha, a member of the 2023 Women’s U19 T20 World Cup-winning team, scored 32 off 24 balls, while Kamalini contributed 28 off 26.
Sri Lanka fought back, with Chamudi Munasinghe and Shashini Gimhani dismissing Trisha and Kamalini in consecutive overs. India faced further setbacks as captain Niki Prasad and wicketkeeper Bhavika Ahire fell cheaply. Mithila Vinod then took charge, hitting four boundaries and finishing unbeaten on 17 off 12 balls to complete the chase in 14.5 overs.
Aayushi Shukla earned the Player of the Match award for her decisive four-wicket haul. India will face the winner of the Bangladesh-Nepal Super Four match in the tournament’s final on Sunday at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval.
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.
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