Indian women scored a 66-run win over Thailand on Monday and cemented their dominant position at the top of the table in the Asia Cup T20 tournament. Asked to bat first at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, Thailand managed to keep Mona Meshram, promoted as an opener, in check but cameos from Smriti Mandhana (29 off 22) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (27 off 17) gave India the impetus that they required in the end as they finished with 132 for 4 in their 20 overs. Wongpaka Liengprasert picked up two wickets in three overs, while Ratanaporn Padunglerd and Nattaya Boochatham had one apiece.
Thailand, in reply, lost opener Nattakan Chantam early, but Naruemol Chaiwai (14) and Nattaya Boochatham (21) offered resistance for the second wicket. The pair added 31 runs before Kaur struck in successive overs to scalp three wickets. The fall of wickets and the soaring required run-rate hampered their chances of even going for a win. They were eventually restricted to 66 for 8 in their 20 overs, giving India another big win. Kaur's cameo with the bat and returns of 3 for 11 in three overs had her named Player of the Match. India will now take on Bangladesh.
In the opening match, the Indian team hammered hosts Malaysia by 142 runs. The entire top order batting contributed well with Mona Meshram's 45-ball 32 being the top score. However, the impact innings of the match was played by the in-form Harmanpreet Kaur, a 17-ball unbeaten 27 which steered India to, what became, a winning total. Kaur's knock was laced with three hits to the fence. Smriti Mandhana too continued her fine form for a 22-ball 29, which included one four and a couple of sixes.
Kaur then did the job with the ball as well, grabbing three wickets with her off-spin, yielding a mere 11 runs in three overs. Kaur's superb all-round performance fetched her the Player of the Match award.
Deepti Sharma also picked up a couple of wickets in her four overs, which went for a mere 16 runs.For Thailand, Nattaya Boochatham top-scored with a 40-ball 21 but the slow knock was hardly what the team needed in the slam-bang format. The Thai team just could not break free during the chase, shackled by an accurate Indian bowling attack. India will now take on Bangladesh in their third match of the tournament.
