Hangzhou Asian Games: Indian women's cricket team thrashes Bangladesh; to play Sri Lanka in final

Indian women's cricket team carved a dominating display when they squared off against Bangladesh in the semi-final of the 2023 Asian Games. All-rounder Pooja Vastrakar was the star of the show for India as she played a key role in decimating the opposition by getting rid of four batters.

Hangzhou: The Indian women's cricket team on Sunday secured a place in the final of the ongoing Asian Games here with a thumping 8-wicket victory against Bangladesh to seal their place in the final. Batter Jemimah Rodrigues (20*) with her impressive skills allowed India to coast comfortably to the summit clash.

Bangladesh skipper's decision to opt to bat backfired as pacer Pooja Vastrakar wreaked havoc and her four-for helped bowl out the opponents for 51. A feeling of nostalgia crept into the Indian fans, as less than a fortnight the men's team pulled off a similar feat against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final played in Colombo.

India stumbled twice while chasing the paltry score of 51. Openers Smriti Mandhana (7) and Shafali Verma (17) fell victim to pacer Marufa Akter and spinner Fahima Khatun respectively.

Earlier in the innings, Vastrakar spearheaded India's bowling attack with her four-wicket haul to make short work of Bangladesh's batting set-up. She set the tone of the game by dismissing openers Shathi Rani and Shamima Sultana for a duck each.

Sobhana Mostary soon followed the footsteps that led to the dugout with a score of 8. Skipper Nigar Sultana was the only batter to cross the double-digit mark with her score of 12. She was removed from the field by Devika Vaidya following a runout.

Ritu Moni (8), Fahima Khatun (0), Rabeya Khan (3), Nahida Akter (9*), Sultana Khatun (3) and Marufa Akter (0) combined together to put a total of 23 runs on the board and take Bangladesh's total to 51. India will play the final on Monday for a gold medal against Sri Lanka. (ANI)