The Indian women’s team won the gold medal in the Asian Games women’s T20 cricket competition on Tuesday by crushing Sri Lanka by 147 runs. This marks India’s first gold medal at the current Games.
Indian batters and bowlers delivered a stellar performance in the gold medal match. Smriti Mandhana scored 79 runs off 45 balls, featuring seven sixes and five fours. Additionally, Shafali Verma scored 48 runs off 29 balls, hitting three sixes and three fours. Richa Ghosh played a blistering knock towards the end—scoring an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls with six fours and three sixes—propelling India to a massive total of 216 for three.
Silver Medal for Sri Lanka
In response, the Sri Lankan batting lineup crumbled against the Indian spinners, with the entire team bowled out for just 69 runs in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma was the most successful bowler, claiming three wickets, while Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil, and Sri Charani took two wickets each. For Sri Lanka, captain Chamari Athapaththu was the top scorer with 29 runs; apart from her, only Kaushini Nuthyangana (14) and Kavisha Dilhari (11) managed to reach double figures. Consequently, Sri Lanka had to settle for the silver medal.