India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her side’s record-extending eighth women’s Asia Cup title was a result of consistently matching the high standards they had set for themselves, after the team crushed Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final here on Sunday.

Opening duo of Shafali Verma (68) and Smriti Mandhana (59) struck sensational half-centuries before the bowlers, led by Shree Charani (4/20), complemented them with a splendid effort as India avenged their last edition’s final loss to Sri Lanka to regain the title with ease.

“We set some really high standards for us, and we had to match them every day, and I’m pretty happy with the way we all came up together,” she said.

“We know how much potential we have, and we have a great team. I think we played to our standards because that’s what we discussed when we came here. we have certain standards, and we have to keep matching them every day.

“And we are very happy with the way we all performed. And I think the girls have done fabulously well throughout the entire tournament, setting 184 in a final. That’s a big thing.”

Talking about the openers, Harmanpreet said, “We all knew it’s not that easy to come back, but I think our openers did an absolutely great job for us, the way they both batted, Smriti and Shafali.

“I think Shafali had a very great tournament, and it’s good to see somebody like Shafali taking responsibility and doing the job with bat and ball. And I mean, I can’t ask anything else from them. It’s all about playing good cricket, and at the end of the day, I’m very happy overall.”

Head coach Amol Muzumdar credited India’s strong batting effort, singling out Shafali Verma’s power and charisma, Smriti Mandhana’s flair and the team’s three-pronged spin attack after India crushed Sri Lanka by 72 runs.

“Really proud of all the players and support staff. It was a fantastic pitch today and we came up good. Our batting was very strong. We started really nicely,” he said after the match.

“If you see throughout the fortnight, the pitch is a bit on the slower side and it turned quite a bit. So putting on a big score and defending it… we had three quality spinners, so that was the tactic,” he added.

On the opening combination of Shafali and Mandhana, Muzumdar said the contrasting styles of the two batters complemented each other well.

“Left-right combination. Shafali has got her own style, the power, the charisma, she puts the opposition on the back foot. Smriti has got that flair, they complement each other really well,” he said.

Muzumdar also said that the team had gone back to its previous plans against Sri Lanka and successfully executed them against a key opposition batter.

“We went back to the five-match series against Sri Lanka in December and how we dismissed Chamari, who is an important player for them. That was the plan and glad Deepti executed it,” he said.

For 18-year-old G Kamalini, who smashed a four and a six for her five-ball 15 to lift India to 183-5, said the victory was an experience she was still coming to terms with.

“It’s a different feeling. I still can’t digest it. I’m an 18-year-old kid. There’s lot of seniors here. I learned a lot from them, mind-wise. I think the mindset the seniors have, that whether they get out on 100 or 0, they have the same mindset, so I learned that from them,” Kamalini said.

Medium pacer Nandani Sharma, playing her first major tournament for India, said the team’s confidence was high and credited her teammates and support staff for the planning behind her partnership with Kranti Gaud.

“This is my first major tournament with India so it feels very good. I feel the credit goes to my team-mates and staff. They had made clear plans. Everyone’s confidence is very high and we’ll focus on our practice and hope to win the Asian Games as well,” she said.

On Deepti Sharma’s ability to deliver at crucial moments, Nandani said: “She delivers wickets where we need it the most. So we knew she’ll handle it. We just wanted to give a good start to the team.” Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh credited the fans for creating a memorable atmosphere and said the team was confident of defending its total once it got a couple of wickets.

“The atmosphere has been really great how the fans came out and cheered for us. At the start the ball was coming on nicely and then it started to get slower. Our batters played really well and we knew if we got a couple of wickets, we’ll be able to stop them,” Richa said.

“The role I’ve been given, getting runs there helps the team. We’ll discuss as a team how we’ll celebrate. Haven’t thought about it yet, the game just got over,” she added.

Published – September 14, 2026 03:17 am IST

It may be recalled that the Indian men’s team had last year declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairperson from Pakistan, Mohsin Naqvi, (centre). File
| Photo Credit: AP

India’s latest triumph further strengthens their position as the most successful team in the history of the tournament. (Photo: X/@TheHockeyIndia)