India win first gold at Asian Games 2026 as women’s cricket team thrash Sri Lanka by 147 runs

India’s women’s cricket team won the country’s first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games, beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final at Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday. India, the defending champions, posted 216/3 before restricting Sri Lanka to 69, completing a one-sided victory.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a flying start after captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat. The opening pair added 99 runs from 60 balls, taking India to 59 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Mandhana led the charge with 79 off 45 balls, hitting seven sixes. Shafali contributed 48 from 29 balls as India maintained a high scoring rate against the Sri Lankan attack.


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India lost Shafali while she attempted a reverse sweep against Chamudi Praboda. Harmanpreet then came in at No. 3 but was dismissed for 19 off 17 balls in the 15th over.

Mandhana was also dismissed soon after, caught in the deep while attempting another slog sweep against Sugandika Kumari.

Richa Ghosh then provided the late-innings acceleration, smashing an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls to take India beyond 200. India finished on 216/3, the highest total in the history of the women's cricket competition at the Asian Games.

Sri Lanka never managed to build a chase. India's bowlers kept taking wickets and restricted the side to 69, giving India a 147-run victory. Spinners Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and SHreyanka Patil were brilliant with the ball as they picked seven wickets collectively.

Also Read: Shafali Verma becomes batter with most runs in women's T20Is during a calendar year

The victory also marks India's second consecutive gold medal in women's cricket at the Asian Games. India had won the women's cricket gold at the 2022 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023, after beating Sri Lanka in the final.

The final also added another milestone to Mandhana's career. During her innings, she became the first woman cricketer to score 11,000 runs in international cricket.

India entered the final after beating Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final, while Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets to reach the title clash.