Indian players during The Final of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 between India and Sri Lanka at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on September 13, 2026.(CREIMAS)Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana delivered when India needed them most in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Sunday. The pair added 129 runs for the opening wicket, with Shafali making 68 and Mandhana 59, to set up India’s 72-run win over Sri Lanka and a record-extending eighth title.It was also in keeping with how the tournament had gone for India with the bat. Shafali finished as the leading run-scorer with 236 runs, while Mandhana was second with 213. No other Indian batter came close to those numbers. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was the next-highest scorer with 71 runs, while Pratika Rawal finished with 56.Head coach Amol Muzumdar, however, said there was no concern over India’s middle order despite the lack of runs.“I think there is no such thing as middle order collapse. We have had some lovely scores given the conditions here. I don’t think there was anything regarding the middle order. We don’t have any concerns regarding that,” Muzumdar said at the post-match press conference.While Muzumdar played down concerns over the batting, he admitted there was room for improvement in the field. India put down a few chances in the final, and Muzumdar said fielding was something they had been working hard on.“Of course, there is scope of improvement, as I said. Having said that, we have been fielding really well. We have been working really hard on that aspect. We have put in a lot of hours. A lot of training has gone in.”“There is scope of improvement in that aspect but we are putting in all our hard work and honest effort towards improving that,” Muzumdar said.Story continues below this adAlso Read | BCCI informed ACC of stance before India women refused Asia Cup trophy from NaqviFielding was not the only area India had focused on before the tournament. Muzumdar said fitness and running between the wickets had also been worked on during their camps, adding that the team did not want to become satisfied after winning the title.“I think there are so many aspects of the game that we really focus on. In our camps, it’s real hard work that we put in. A lot of emphasis was put on the fielding aspect.”“The fitness part was looked after really well in the camp prior to this tournament. Also, the running between wickets. We have been working really hard on certain aspects where we think there is a lot of scope for improvement.”“We march ahead. As I said, we don’t get satisfied with any tournament. Once the tournament is over, we look forward to the next one,” he said.Story continues below this adThere was also a change of plan involving G Kamalini in the final. The left-hander came into the XI after Pratika Rawal was rested and, according to Muzumdar, had initially been pencilled in at No.3. But as the innings progressed, she kept getting pushed down the order.Kamalini eventually came out at No.7 in the final over and made an unbeaten 15 off five balls.“She just proved how talented a player she is. She was slotted into player number 3, but as the game unfolded, we had to push her down the order. But she came out really superbly towards the end.”“The momentum that we got in the last over just propelled us towards better first 6 overs in fielding as well. Her knock really helped, and I am glad that people are putting their hand up for the places,” Muzumdar said.