India won the women’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final on Tuesday, September 22. The match was played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan. This was India’s first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games.Key HighlightsIndia scored 216/3 in 20 overs.Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs.Smriti Mandhana scored 79 runs from 45 balls.Richa Ghosh made an unbeaten 49 from 22 balls.Deepti Sharma took 3 wickets for 6 runs.India retained the women’s cricket gold after winning at Hangzhou 2023.India Set a Record Total"India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat first. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a fast start. The opening pair helped India reach 66 runs during the powerplay."Mandhana continued her strong innings and scored 79 runs from 45 balls. Shafali Verma added 48 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur also contributed before her dismissal.Richa Ghosh then finished the innings strongly. She remained unbeaten on 49 from 22 balls as India reached 216/3 in 20 overs. The score became the highest team total in women’s cricket at the Asian Games.Sri Lanka Struggle in the ChaseSri Lanka needed 217 runs to win the India Sri Lanka cricket final, but the Indian bowlers quickly put pressure on the batting side.Captain Chamari Athapaththu scored 29 runs from 21 balls and was Sri Lanka’s top scorer. However, wickets kept falling at regular intervals.Deepti Sharma was the leading Indian bowler. She finished with 3 wickets for only 6 runs. Shafali Verma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil also took important wickets.Sri Lanka were eventually dismissed for 69 runs in 15.4 overs, giving India a 147-run victory.India Win Second Asian Games Gold"The victory means the India Women Asian Games 2026 Gold Medal campaign ended with another gold medal. India had also won the women’s cricket gold at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, where Sri Lanka had finished with silver."The 2026 final was therefore a repeat of the previous Asian Games gold-medal match. Sri Lanka again finished with silver, while Pakistan won the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.Smriti Mandhana and India’s Gold-Medal PerformanceSmriti Mandhana played a major role in India’s batting performance, while Richa Ghosh provided the late acceleration. India’s bowlers then completed the result with a strong display.The Asian Games 2026 women cricket final also gave India its first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The result confirmed India as the women’s cricket champion for the second consecutive Asian Games edition.Also Read : China Women’s Cricket Team Exits Asian Games After Rain Washout
