India Crush Sri Lanka to win women’s cricket gold at Asian Games

NAGOYA: India produced a dominant performance to defeat Sri Lanka and claim the women’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, completing a one-sided final after a commanding batting display.

In the final played in Nagoya, India won the toss and chose to bat first, setting an imposing target of 217 runs after scoring 216 for three in their allotted 20 overs.

Smriti Mandhana led the way with a superb 79, providing the foundation for India’s huge total. Shafali Verma added a brisk 48, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 19 before being dismissed.

Richa Ghosh then played an important late-innings role, remaining unbeaten on 49, while Bharti Fulmali finished not out on seven.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to contain India’s scoring throughout the innings. Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari and Chamodi Prabodha each claimed one wicket, but India maintained control and finished with a formidable total.

Needing 217 for victory, Sri Lanka faced an enormous challenge from the outset. Their chase never gathered momentum as Indian bowlers repeatedly struck to reduce the opposition to 69 all out.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu offered some resistance with 29, while Nethmi Neththaranayake and Kavisha Dilhari scored 14 and 11 respectively.

However, the rest of the Sri Lankan batting lineup failed to reach double figures, leaving India with a massive 147-run victory.

Deepti Sharma was India’s leading bowler, taking three wickets, while Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani claimed two wickets apiece.

The emphatic victory secured the gold medal for India, while Sri Lanka finished with the silver medal.

The result capped a memorable women’s cricket campaign at the Asian Games, with India demonstrating their strength with both bat and ball when it mattered most.

Earlier, Pakistan secured the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff, meaning all three South Asian teams featured prominently on the medal podium.

India’s overwhelming victory in the final, however, ensured that the gold medal belonged to them after a commanding all-round performance.