Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Muzumdar Defends India’s Batting Despite Fielding Concerns
India’s women’s cricket team beat Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Asia Cup final.
This gave India its eighth Asia Cup title.
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana scored most of India’s runs at the start.
They put together 129 runs before the first wicket fell.
Coach Amol Muzumdar said he was not worried about the other batters.
He said the team had worked hard on fielding, fitness and running between wickets.
India dropped several catches during the tournament, including three in the final.
G Kamalini helped at the end by scoring 15 runs from five balls.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana added 129 runs for the opening wicket in the final.
Shafali scored 68 and Mandhana 59, while they led India’s tournament scoring with 236 and 213 runs respectively.
Coach Amol Muzumdar dismissed concerns about India’s middle order, despite Harmanpreet Kaur and Pratika Rawal scoring 71 and 56 tournament runs.
India dropped 13 catches across five matches, but Muzumdar said the team was working hard on fielding, fitness and running between wickets.
- Who
- India’s women’s cricket team, coached by Amol Muzumdar, defeated Sri Lanka.
- What
- India won the Women’s Asia Cup final by 72 runs and claimed its eighth title.
- When
- Sunday, September 14, according to the report’s dateline and match description.
- Where
- Dubai.
- Why
- India’s strong opening partnership and higher scoring helped it beat Sri Lanka, while the team’s fielding remained an area for improvement.
Muzumdar’s Assessment
Performance-Based Concerns
India’s middle order
Muzumdar’s Assessment
Amol Muzumdar said India had no middle-order concerns and rejected the idea that the team had suffered a middle-order collapse.
Performance-Based Concerns
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana were far ahead of India’s other tournament run-scorers, with Harmanpreet Kaur next on 71 and Pratika Rawal on 56.
Fielding performance
Muzumdar’s Assessment
Muzumdar said India had been fielding well and had invested substantial training, time and effort in improving the area.
Performance-Based Concerns
India dropped 13 catches in five matches, including three in the final, and Muzumdar acknowledged there was room for improvement.
- Final result
- India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs.
- Title count
- India won a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.
- Opening partnership
- Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana added 129 runs for the first wicket.
- Top tournament scorers
- Shafali Verma scored 236 runs and Smriti Mandhana scored 213.
- Middle-order figures
- Harmanpreet Kaur scored 71 tournament runs and Pratika Rawal scored 56.
- Fielding record
- India dropped 13 catches across five matches, including three in the final.
- Late contribution
- G Kamalini scored an unbeaten 15 off five balls in the final over.
