Published: September 22, 2026 at 3:48 pm
India women defended their gold medal in style as they demolished Sri Lanka by 147 runs to triumph in the cricket competitions of the Asian Games 2026 at the Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday. In the process, the women cricketers earned India’s first gold medal at the Games.
The batters set up the victory as they scored a huge 216 for three and then the bowlers chipped in as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69.
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Indian women’s 147-run win against Sri lanka is their largest margin of victory in terms of runs in WT20Is. Their previous best was the 142-run win over Malaysia.
Right through the tournament, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side brooked no challenge as they steamrolled past their opponents with consummate ease.
If the win in the semifinal was commanding, well, this was on another level altogether. India scored more and they did it against a better side, and then they barely allowed their neighbours a sniff. Shafali Verma inflicted much of the powerplay damage before the rest of the bowlers followed suit.
Shafali, Smriti set the tone for India
Harmanpreet won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana literally ran away with the game as they strung a 99-run partnership off 60 balls with the duo scoring at a brisk pace. Shafali, who scored a century in the semifinals against Bangladesh, hit Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lankan captain and star all-rounder, for three sixes in the fifth over. Mandhana reached her 37th T20I fifty in 30 balls.
Shafali contributed 48 off 29 balls before she fell, while Mandhana made 51 off 31 balls. Shafali was caught behind by Kawya Kavindi off Chamundi Praboda after making a 29-ball 48 which contained three fours and an equal number of sixes.
Indian men and women’s cricket teams aim to defend historic double gold at Asian Games
Mandhana and Harmanpreet then added 42 off 28 balls for the second wicket before Harmanpreet (19) was caught by Chamari Athapatththu off Kavisha Dilhari. By this time, the Indians were scoring at almost 10 runs per over.
Richa in devastating form
The Indians continued to harass the Sri Lankan bowlers with Mandhana and Richa Ghosh added 22 for the third wicket but the real damage was done by Richa in her 53-run partnership off 15 balls with Bharti Fulmani. Richa was in devastating form as she scored 32 of those runs off just 12 balls.
Mandhana fell to Sugandika Kumari, caught by Kavisha Dilhari, after making 79 off 45 balls with five fours and seven huge sixes.
Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 49 off 22 balls and helped India cross the 200-run mark. Pics: X
Richa remained unbeaten on a flashy 49 off 22 balls with six boundaries and three sixes as India reached 216 for three, which is the highest team total ever recorded in women’s cricket at the Asian Games. The previous record was held by Hong Kong China, who posted 202/4 against Mongolia in the quarterfinal qualifiers at the Hangzhou 2023.
The Sri Lankan chase never really got off the ground as they lost two quick wickets but as long as skipper Athapaththu was there they fancied their chances.
But Deepti Sharma had the Sri Lankan caught by Fulmani after the skipper had topscored with a 21-ball 29 with five boundaries.
Thereafter, there was no stopping the Indians as the bowlers delivered the sucker punch. Only two other Sri Lankan batters reached double figures, Kavisha Dilhari (11) and Kaushini Nuthyangana (14).
Spinners destroy Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka were spun out for 69 in 15.4 overs as the Indian spinners ruled the roost. Deepti Sharma took three for six in her four overs, while Shreyanka Patil took two for nine and Sree Charani bagged two for 13. Shafali Verma rounded off a good day with a two for three haul.
“I had requested them to include cricket, as I was part of the Asian Games coordination committee. They accepted it, and now we have won gold. I am so happy,” said PT Usha, former athlete, Indian Olympic Association president, and Rajya Sabha MP.
It has been a fabulous 12 months for the Indian women’s cricket team. They won the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup and then went on to win the Test match at Lord’s. Recently they emerged Asian champions and now have retained their gold medal at the Asian Games.
Brief scores: India 216 for three in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 48, Smriti Mandhana 79, Richa Ghosh 49 not out) beat Sri Lanka 69 in 15.4 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 29; Deepti Sharma 3/6, Shafali Verma 2/3, Shreyanka Patil 2/9, Shree Charani 2/13).
