Harmanpreet Kaur blames 'fumbles' after dropping crucial catch in Asia Cup final loss
Team India's women captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, acknowledged that her side made a lot of fumbles in the epic final showdown against Sri Lanka, which made them lose the Women's Asia Cup 2024 title despite being one of the top contenders to hold the trophy. The Women in Blue failed to defend their title as they suffered a defeat against the Lanka Lions by 8 wickets in the grand finale, which took place on July 28 at Rangiri International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla. The 35-year-old India's captain accepted that her side were top-notch in the final game but also said that they were not up to par, making them lose an elite title on such a crucial day.
Speaking about the game, it was the India captain who won the toss and invited the home team to bowl first. Notably, after being opted to bat first, Smriti Mandhana made 60 runs while Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh hammered 29 and 30 runs, respectively, to help the hosts post 165/2. However, during the chase, skipper Athapaththu and Madavi took the onus on themselves and piled up 61 and 69 runs, respectively, to help Sri Lanka win their maiden title after thrashing a strong Indian side.
Watch the missed catch here:
— Lolzzz (@CricketerMasked) July 28, 2024
There are a lot of areas we can improve upon, and we will remember this day: Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur feels that her side was able to post a decent total for the game; however, it was Sri Lankan batters who took India's victory away and didn't make things easy for the defending champions. The stylish right-handed batter said that there were a lot of areas in all three departments where they needed to improve to win the game. In addition to this, the Mumbai Indians captain did not forget to laud the hosts for their magnificent bowling, which didn't allow Indian batters to post huge. Kaur admitted that Sri Lanka deserves to win the game as they were totally clinical in all three departments as compared to them.
“We played good cricket throughout the tournament, but today we made a lot of fumbles. It was a decent total. Sri Lanka batted really well and didn't make it easy for us. There are a lot of areas we can improve upon, and we will remember this day,” Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Also Read: WATCH: Harmanpreet Kaur's dropped catch comes back to haunt as India lose Women's Asia Cup Final
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