We should give credit to bowlers and fielders, says Harmanpreet

SYLHET: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur lauded her bowlers and the fielding unit after the team’s triumphant campaign in the Women’s Asia Cup, which ended with a lop-sided final against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.

“We should credit our bowlers. Our fielding unit was good from ball one and we discussed that we should not give away easy runs. You have to read the wicket and accordingly place the fielders in right positions,” Harmanpreet said.

“We read the wicket well and positioned fielders accordingly. We were not looking at the scoreboard but only decided our five-over targets.”

Player of the Match Renuka Singh sent back Hasini Perera off the very first ball she faced. The pacer finished with excellent figures of 3/5 in the final.

“Very happy because the last few games I didn’t bowl well. I practised with my coach and the staff and they really helped me get back my rhythm. Just focussed on my basics and got success,” Renuka said.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma, who gave away just seven runs in her four overs, was declared the Player of the Series.

“Really happy with the way we performed as a unit from the first game till today. We executed what was discussed in the meeting. I just back my strengths and those things helped me a lot in this tournament.

“The wickets were slow and before this tournament, I worked a lot on my batting and those sessions really helped me. This win gives us a lot of confidence going into the upcoming series well.”

PM Modi congratulates team for continental success

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the Indian cricket team on winning the Women’s Asia Cup and said they have made the country proud with their grit and dexterity. India maintained its dominance in the Women’s Asia Cup with an eight-wicket demolition of a self-destructing Sri Lanka in the final for its seventh title in eight editions. Modi tweeted, “Our women cricket team makes us proud with their grit and dexterity! Congratulations to the team for winning the Women’s Asia Cup. They have shown outstanding skill and teamwork. Best wishes to the players for their upcoming endeavours.”