Asian Games: India clinch gold in women's cricket after record-win over Sri Lanka

Indian women’s cricket team clinched their second successive gold medal at the Asian Games, recording their highest victory margin in the final over Sri Lanka by 147 runs on Tuesday, September 22 at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. After captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat first, openers Shafali Verma (48 off 29) and Smriti Mandhana (79 off 45) led the charge, continuing their rich form from the recent Asia Cup.

They duo 99 runs for the first wicket off 60 balls in a match that seemed like a repeat of the Asia Cup final. Following their massive stand, Richa Ghosh (49* off 22) continued the carnage down the order, adding 53 runs for the fourth wicket off just 19 balls with Bharti Fulmali (7 off 7). Courtesy of their dominant batting display, India posted a big score of 216/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 69 in 15.4 overs with Deepti Sharma (3/6) emerging as the pick of the bowlers, while Shafali Verma (2/3), Shreyanka Patil (2/9, 1.4 overs) and Shree Charani (2/13) chipped in with two wickets each.

As a result, India registered their longest winning streak in T20Is, winning eighth consecutive match overall as well as against Sri Lanka. The Women in Blue secured another gold medal at the event, having finished at the top of the podium in the previous edition in 2023 as well.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka had to settle for a silver, while Pakistan won the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place fixture.