India’s women’s cricket team secured the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 by defeating Sri Lanka in the final at Karogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi, on Tuesday. The victory margin of 147 runs extended India’s reign as Asian Games champions, repeating their success from the Hangzhou 2023 gold medal match.
India posted 216 for three wickets, a record at the continental showpiece. Smriti Mandhana struck 79 off 45 balls with five fours and seven sixes, Shafali Verma contributed 48, and Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 49 off 22 deliveries. Sri Lanka were then bundled out for 69, with Deepti Sharma claiming three for six. Shafali Verma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil took two wickets each.
Amol Muzumdar, who has had a commendable run in his role as India’s head coach, described the gold medal win as a surreal feeling.
“It’s a very good feeling to win the gold here at the Asian Games and set the ball rolling for India. Nothing better than that. I think it is terrific to be on the winning side. The skill level of this team is very high. So, I think if we put our best foot forward and play to our potential, this is going to be the norm,” Muzumdar told reporters after the match.
Muzumdar on the gold medal win
The gold medal was India’s first at the Asian Games 2026 and marked the team’s second consecutive Asian Games title in women’s cricket. Mandhana’s 79-run innings was her 37th half-century in T20 internationals, and she became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 runs across all international formats.
Deepti Sharma, who took three wickets in the final and conceded just six runs in four overs, expressed her joy at the achievement.
“We are very happy, and winning the gold medal has brought double the joy because we have always been playing for trophies, and last time too we won the gold medal in the Asian Games, and this year as well. The biggest thing is that this is the first gold medal of 2026, so what could be a greater joy than this? So we are enjoying this,” Deepti said.
Deepti Sharma’s reaction and reflections
The all-rounder noted that Sri Lanka presented a strong challenge but acknowledged India’s ability to dominate when executing their plans effectively. Deepti highlighted that the Asian Games triumph would strengthen India’s confidence ahead of the Olympics, where cricket will feature in the programme. She dedicated the gold medal to her mother, bringing an emotional dimension to the team’s continental success.
The victory came after India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Asia Cup 2026 final earlier in September, demonstrating the team’s consistent performance against the same opponent across multiple tournaments in 2026.
