Harmanpreet Praises Team After India’s Asia Cup Triumph

DUBAI-India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised her team after India won its eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the 2026 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 13.

Kaur said India lived up to the standards the team had set for itself before the tournament and praised the players for their performances throughout the competition.

“We feel this way because 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, you know, 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,” Kaur said after the win.

She praised openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who put together a record 129-run partnership for the opening wicket and laid the foundation for India’s 183/5 in 20 overs. The stand is now the highest for any wicket in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup.

“Yes, definitely. 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, you know, 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, you know, playing good cricket, and at the end of the day, I’m very happy overall,” she said.

Kaur also thanked fans for their continued support of the Indian women’s team wherever it plays.

“I think I’ve been saying that they are our biggest support. Wherever we go, they’re always there to support us, and I think in front of them we always want to play great cricket and hope we are able to, you know, entertain them with our great performance.

“And I’m sure today, it’s good to see a lot of smiles, a lot of, you know, people enjoying their performance, and hopefully we’ll keep continuing that,” she said.

Shafali scored 68 off 39 balls and hit the fastest half-century in the history of the tournament, reaching the milestone in just 24 deliveries.

India’s bowlers then completed the job, with Shree Charani taking four wickets and Deepti Sharma claiming three as India sealed the 72-run victory and another Women’s Asia Cup title. (IANS)