The Indian women's cricket team won the gold medal for India at the 2026 Asian Games as they defeated the Sri Lankan women's cricket team by 147 runs in the final game played at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan, on September 22.
The team led by Harmanpreet Kaur won the gold medal on account of their excellent performance both in batting and bowling. India made a score of 216/3 when batting first and dismissed Sri Lanka for 69. This was the first gold medal for India in the Aichi-Nagoya Games, taking their total medal count to seven, comprising four silver and two bronze medals.
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| Image Credit: The Indian Express ( BCCI photo) |
India Women’s Cricket Team Wins Gold
India won the toss and decided to bat in the final match of the Asian Games 2026 between India and Sri Lanka. Their decision proved successful because their openers provided a good start for their team.
The opening partnership of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma yielded 99 runs. Smriti Mandhana made 79 runs off 45 balls, whereas Shafali made 48 runs off 29 balls.
Five fours and seven sixes were hit by Mandhana, whereas Shafali hit three fours and three sixes. The partnership of these two batsmen was crucial for India in setting up a high score.
Richa Ghosh delivered a strong ending to the match. She stayed unbeaten on 49 runs off 22 balls as India posted 216/3 in 20 overs. This was India's highest score in women's cricket in the Asian Games.
Sri Lanka Struggles in the Chase
Sri Lanka failed to score the 217 runs required to win the game against India in the Women’s Cricket Final in the Asian Games 2026. Indian bowlers continued to take wickets at consistent intervals and did not allow Sri Lanka to make any substantial partnership. In the end, Sri Lanka was bowled out for only 69 runs in 15.4 overs.
Deepti Sharma was one of the best bowlers in India with three wickets, while Shafali Verma was successful with her bowling. The efficient bowling by the Indian team made it extremely difficult for the Sri Lankan team to score such a huge target. India won by 147 runs and secured their first gold medal in the Asian Games 2026 series.
Smriti Mandhana Creates History
The final also became a memorable match for Smriti Mandhana. During her 79-run innings, she became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs. Mandhana reached the milestone during the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka, adding another major achievement to an already significant day for Indian women's cricket.
In addition to that, Shafali Verma achieved a milestone in the game too. With 48 runs in her innings, she scored 863 runs in her 2026 women’s T20Is career run tally, becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is in one calendar year, overtaking Laura Wolvaardt, who had scored 824 runs.
India Retains Asian Games Cricket Title
The India women's cricket team's Asian Games 2026 victory also means India has successfully retained the women's cricket gold medal.
India had won the women's cricket gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. The team returned as defending champions in Aichi-Nagoya and once again reached the top of the podium after defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
The result also gave India its first gold of the ongoing Asian Games. Before the cricket final, India's medal tally consisted of four silver and two bronze medals. The women's cricket victory changed that tally to one gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
India’s First Gold Sets the Tone
The India First Gold at the Asian Games 2026 has come through a convincing performance from the women's cricket team. A strong batting display led by Mandhana and Shafali was followed by an impressive bowling effort that restricted Sri Lanka to 69.
With the Asian Games continuing in Aichi-Nagoya, India will now look to add more medals across different sports. For the women's cricket team, however, the 147-run victory has already delivered one of the country's biggest results of the Games so far.