– by Pratyusha Mukherjee, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India’s women’s cricket team delivered a commanding performance in the Asian Games 2026 gold-medal match, defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin to retain the continental title.
Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India first posted a formidable 216/3 after opting to bat. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a spectacular 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed a brisk 48 off 29 deliveries.
Richa Ghosh then provided a powerful finish, smashing an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls as India crossed the 200-run mark. The total was the highest by a women’s team in Asian Games cricket.
Sri Lanka never found momentum in the chase. The Indian bowling attack, led by its spinners, reduced the opposition to 69 all out in 15.4 overs. Shafali Verma claimed two wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani also made key contributions with the ball.
The victory secured India’s first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games and gave the women’s cricket team back-to-back Asian Games titles, following their gold-medal triumph at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
Mandhana’s innings also marked a major individual milestone. With her 79, she became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs.
For India, the victory added a seventh medal to its tally at the ongoing Games and opened the country’s gold-medal account in emphatic fashion. Sri Lanka took silver, while Pakistan secured bronze after defeating Bangladesh in the third-place match.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said after the victory that winning gold was a dream for every athlete and expressed hope that the team’s success would be followed by more gold medals for the Indian contingent.
For India, the victory added a seventh medal to its tally at the ongoing Games and opened the country’s gold-medal account in emphatic fashion. Sri Lanka took silver, while Pakistan secured bronze after defeating Bangladesh in the third-place match.
