Dubai, Sep 14 (IANS) The celebrations on the field at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium reflected the collective effort behind India’s record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, with BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia and Vice President Rajeev Shukla joining the triumphant team and support staff after their 72-run win over Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Saikia and Shukla were present at the stadium as India completed a dominant campaign to reclaim the continental crown. Following the victory, the two BCCI officials joined the players and members of the support staff on the ground, speaking to the squad and applauding their performances before they presented the fielding medal to Nandni Sharma.

For Nandni, the occasion carried added significance after her return from injury. The young player admitted the title felt particularly special after missing out on action due to an injury sustained during the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

“It feels really good. I was in a tournament in India, and I got injured. I was in the WPL, the World Cup, so this is my first one. It feels really, really good, and then we won again, so it feels even better,” Nandni told the broadcasters after the win.

Nandni was also asked about how India managed to keep Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu under control during the final, with the experienced batter restricted to 36 before being dismissed by Deepti Sharma.

“I think the credit goes to my teammates and the staff. They kept everything very clear for us about what we had to do, so I just did that,” she added.

India’s victory came at an important juncture with the Asian Games also on the horizon, and Nandni believes the Asia Cup triumph will provide the team with further belief while also giving them areas to work on.

“Confidence is very high, and it is there in our practice as well. Whatever little mistakes we made, we will work on them and then go there and win as well,” she stated.

Deepti was central to India’s victory, finishing with 3-19 and dismissing Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne in the same over before returning to close out the innings. Nandni underlined the trust the team places in the all-rounder.

“She is someone who, whenever a wicket is really needed, eventually gets that wicket. So we knew she would handle everything. We just had to give a good start with the ball.”

India’s celebrations eventually culminated with Nandni receiving the fielding medal, adding another personal moment to a title triumph that the entire squad had helped deliver.

–IANS

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