The spin duo of Shreyanka Patil and Mannat Kashyap shone with the ball as India ‘A’ defeated Bangladesh by 31 runs to win the ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
After choosing to bat first, India scored a modest 127 for 7, but the bowlers were up to the challenge. Patil (4/13) and Kashyap (3/20) shared seven wickets between them to help India bowl out Bangladesh for 96 in 19.2 overs.
For her solid all-round performance in the final, Kanika Ahuja bagged the player of the match award where she picked up 2/23 and scored an unbeaten 30 off 23 runs while batting.
The top scorer for India was Vrinda Dinesh (36 off 29) while Ahuja finished the game with her unbeaten 30.
In addition to Vrinda and Ahuja, wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry and captain Shweta Sehrawat were the only other Indian batters who had managed double-figure scores as the Bangladeshi bowlers picked up regular wickets, making it difficult for India to put up any meaningful partnerships.
Both off-spinner Sultana Khatun (2/30) and slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nahida Akter (2/13) took two wickets each for Bangladesh.
Out of the five matches India ‘A’ were scheduled to play in the tournament preceding the final, four games were washed out due to rain. However, India ‘A’ had won their first match of the tournament against hosts Hong Kong by nine wickets.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!