India Women Claim Asian Games Cricket Gold With 147-Run Win Over Sri Lanka

India won its first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the Twenty20 final on September 22.

Batting first at Korogi Sports Park, India made 216 for three. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma set the pace with a 99-run partnership, giving the defending champions control of the contest from the opening overs.

Mandhana scored 79 from 45 balls, while Verma contributed 48. Richa Ghosh then accelerated the innings with an unbeaten 49 from 22 deliveries, pushing India beyond 200.

Sri Lanka’s chase never recovered from early wickets. Verma removed Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera with her off-spin, while Deepti Sharma dismissed captain Chamari Athapaththu for 27. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 in fewer than 16 overs.

The victory allowed India to retain the women’s T20 title won at the previous Asian Games. It also gave the country its opening gold of the 2026 Games.

Mandhana reached another milestone during the innings, becoming the first woman to pass 11,000 runs in international cricket. Pakistan took the bronze medal after beating Bangladesh by 31 runs.