Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Jay Shah on Wednesday congratulated the India A women’s team for clinching the Emerging Asia Cup 2023. The Shweta Sehrawat led side outsmarted Bangladesh A women to pocket the silverware. Electing to bat, India first posted a modest 127 for seven before the bowlers rose to the occasion with Shreyanka Patil (4/13) and Mannat Kashyap (3/20) sharing seven wickets between them to bundle out Bangladesh for 96 in 19.2 overs.
Shah, who is also the acting BCCI secretary, took to Twitter and congratulate the winners through a heartwarming post.
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“What a sensational victory! Congratulations to the India ‘A’ women’s cricket team for winning the ACC #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup! Each team showed great spirit and fought fiercely till the end. Bright days ahead for women’s cricket in Asia,” Shah tweeted.
What a sensational victory! Congratulations to the India ‘A’ women’s cricket team for winning the ACC #WomensEmergingTeamsAsiaCup!Each team showed great spirit and fought fiercely till the end. Bright days ahead for women’s cricket in Asia!@ACCMedia1 #ACC pic.twitter.com/Vjls2d2MjK— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 21, 2023
India conquered the field on the back of a superb spin-bowling show. Off-spinner Patil and slow left-arm orthodox Kashyap ruled the roost on a slow Mission Road Ground pitch. Sobhana Mostary and Nahida Akter scored 16 runs each, while Nahida Akter remained stranded on 17 not out for Bangladesh.
But on the other, scoring runs was an uphill task for the Indian batters. Surprisingly, only four of them managed double-digit scores with Bangladesh bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals, not allowing India to build any substantial partnership. Besides Vrinda and Ahuja, wicketkeeper U Chetry (22) and skipper Shweta Sehrawat (13) were the other two Indian batters to reach double-digit scores.
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For Bangladesh, slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nahida Akter (2/13) and off-spinner Sultana Khatun (2/30) picked up two wickets apiece. India progressed to the final after their semifinal against Sri Lanka was washed out without a ball being bowled on Tuesday.
In a bizarre run of events, India played only one game in the run-up to the final, their opener against hosts Hong Kong, which they won by nine wickets. In fact, rain played spoilsport throughout the tournament, forcing as many as eight games to be washed out.