India, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, were up against Sri Lanka, led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, for the Gold medal clash at the ongoing 4th edition of the <a href="https://cricket.international/its-a-surreal-feeling-amol-muzumdar-opens-up-after-indias-asian-games-gold-eyes-la-olympics/" title="‘It’s a Surreal Feeling’: Amol Muzumdar Opens Up After India’s <a href="https://cricket.international/sri-lanka-announce-15-member-squad-for-2026-asian-games-sahan-arachchige-named-captain/" title="Sri Lanka announce 15-member squad for 2026 Asian Games, Sahan Arachchige named captain”>Asian Games Gold, Eyes LA Olympics”>Asian Games hosted by Japan, at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on 22nd September 2026.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Nigar Sultana Joty-led Bangladesh by 114 runs in the 2nd Semi-final on 20th September 2026, and the Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lanka thrashed Fatima Sana’s Pakistan by 8 wickets in the 1st semi-final to book a spot in the gold medal clash. Both sides retained the same team that took the field in the semi-finals.
The Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana yet again provided a power-packed start with a massive 99-run opening stand, scoring at almost 10 runs an over. The 17-year-old left-arm spinner Chamudi Praboda provided the much-needed 1st breakthrough for Sri Lanka by dismissing an in-form Shafali Verma (48 off 29 balls) back to the pavilion in the 10th over of the innings.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur promoted herself at number 3, joining Smriti Mandhana at the crease, and the duo stitched another crucial 42-run stand for the 2nd wicket, which also took them closer to the 150-run mark. Kavisha Dilhari got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (19 off 17 balls) back to the pavilion in the 15th over of the innings to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
The Indian middle-order stepped up and ensured the momentum carried through the innings, with impactful partnerships of 22-runs for the 3rd wicket alongside Richa Ghosh and Smriti Mandhana (79 off 45 balls), followed by an unbeaten 53-run stand for the 4th wicket with the wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (49* off 22 balls) providing the finishing touches to the Indian innings alongside Bharti Fulmali (7* off 7 balls). India posted a record-highest total in the history of the women’s Asian Games, 216/3 in their quota of 20 overs. The innings had as many as 14 extras.
Chamudi Praboda (4-0-34-1), Kavisha Dilhari (4-0-35-1) and Sugandika Kumari (4-0-37-1) were the top performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
Chasing a mountainous total of 217, the Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu yet again stood tall and took the responsibility on her shoulders to put up a spirited fight for Sri Lanka. Imesha Dulani (3 off 10 balls) struggled to get off the blocks quickly. Shafali Verma broke the 18-run opening stand by sending Imesha Dulani back to the pavilion in the 3rd over of the run chase to provide the 1st breakthrough for India.
The Sri Lankan batters struggled to infuse momentum into the run chase. As a result, the required rate continued to sky-rocket and the game quickly slipped away from Sri Lanka’s grasp. Sri Lanka were eventually bundled out for 69, with 26 balls to spare, falling by a humongous margin of 147 runs.
The Sri Lankan skipper top-scored with 29 (21 balls) with the bat for her side. Kavisha Dilhari (11 off 13 balls) and Kaushani Nuthyangana (14 off 14 balls) were the only other batters to enter the double digits with the bat for their side. Deepti Sharma (4-1-6-3), Shree Charani (4-0-13-2), Shreyanka Patil (1.4-0-9-2), and Shafali Verma (2-0-3-2) were exceptional with the ball for India. The 22-year-old all-rounder Shafali Verma backed up her impressive performance with the bat (48 off 29 balls) with an impactful spell with the ball.
She ended the Asian Games as the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 188 runs at a strike rate of 202.15, being dismissed just once in three innings with the bat for her side, including an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the semi-final. She also picked up 4 wickets at an average of 4 and an economy of 2.66 in a couple of innings alongside India’s Shreyanka Patil and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana.
The left-arm spinner Shree Charani ended as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 8 wickets at an average of 3.75 and an economy of 2.72 in three innings, including a four-wicket haul in three matches, playing a massive role as India defended and clinched their 2nd gold medal at the Asian Games under the leadership of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
Loves all things female cricket
Source: femalecricket.com
