Dubai, Sept. 13 -- The Indian opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana continued to make history as India posted a challenging total for Sri Lanka in the women's Asia Cup final on Sunday.

Shafali posted an explosive 68 in 39 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, reaching the half-century in just 24 balls, while Smriti also made a solid 59 in 39 balls, with five fours and three sixes.

Shafali's 24-ball fifty in the fastest in women's Asia Cup history, beating Mandhana's record of 25 balls fifty against Sri Lanka in the 2022 edition. The right-hander now has three fifty-plus scores in the ongoing edition, the joint-most by a player in a single Women's Asia Cup edition, alongside as many for Chamari Athapaththu during Sri Lanka's ...