Asian Games: Smriti Mandhana stars as India retain women's cricket gold medal
Brief score: India (216/3 in 20 ovs) defeated Sri Lanka (69 all-out in 15.4 ovs) by 147 runs in Nagoya.
India finally had their first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games, and it came with the sort of performance that left Sri Lanka chasing the game almost from the start. Smriti Mandhana's 79 and Shafali Verma's all-round contribution set up a 147-run win in the women's cricket final, as India retained the title they won three years ago in Hangzhou.
There was a familiar feel to the fixture. Sri Lanka had been India's opponents in the 2023 Asian Games final and had also lost to them in the Women's Asia Cup final earlier this month. But this was no repeat of a tight final or a game that went down to the last few overs; India had the contest under control well before the finish.
It started with the toss. India chose to bat, and Mandhana and Shafali immediately went after Sri Lanka's spin-heavy attack. There was no settling-in period. If the bowlers offered width, Mandhana found the gap; if they dropped short, Shafali was ready to pull.
India reached 59 without loss in the powerplay, and the opening pair's 99-run stand from 60 balls set up everything that followed. Shafali's 48 gave the innings its early thrust, Mandhana's 79 kept it moving and Richa Ghosh then supplied the late surge with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls.
By the time India finished on 216 for 3, Sri Lanka were staring at the highest total ever posted in women's cricket at the Asian Games and a target that would require something extraordinary.MANDHANA OWNS THE OCCASION
Mandhana did not take long to settle into the final. Sri Lanka went to spin early, hoping to slow India's start down, but Mandhana immediately put them under pressure. Sugandika Kumari was swept and driven, Mithali Ayodhya was lofted over extra cover and, when Chamari Athapaththu brought herself on, the runs kept coming.
The fifth over was a good snapshot of the innings. Shafali Verma pulled Athapaththu's first loose delivery into the stands, cleared mid-off with the next and, after a couple of balls, Mandhana stepped down the pitch to send the Sri Lankan captain straight back over her head. Nineteen runs came from the over and Sri Lanka were already searching for a way to contain an innings that was getting away from them.Smriti Mandhana brings up a fluent 50* off just 30 balls to put India firmly in control of the Gold Medal match! Watch Sri Lanka vs India, in the Women's Cricket Final at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV. pic.twitter.com/NsZ6db9Ciu— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 22, 2026
Mandhana never looked hurried. She picked off the gaps when Sri Lanka spread the field and went over the top when they gave her the opportunity. By the time she was eventually caught in the deep for 79 off 45 balls, she had hit five fours and seven sixes and had given India the platform they needed.
There was history in the innings too. Mandhana crossed 11,000 international runs, becoming the first woman cricketer to reach the landmark. Her 79 also took her to 116 runs in the tournament, after her 37 in the semi-final against Bangladesh, making her the leading run-scorer of the Asian Games.
That gives the title another nice bit of continuity. Jemimah Rodrigues had finished as the leading run-scorer when India won the women's cricket gold at the 2023 Asian Games, making Mandhana the second successive Indian to top the tournament's run charts in a gold-medal campaign. Rodrigues had scored 109 runs in three innings in Hangzhou.
Mandhana had a hundred within sight before falling, but India were already in a position to attack the final overs. Harmanpreet Kaur's 19 off 17 did little to ease the questions around her batting form, but India had enough firepower around their captain.
Richa Ghosh took charge at the death, finding the boundary repeatedly to finish unbeaten on 49 off 22 balls. India ended on 216 for 3, the highest total ever posted in women's cricket at the Asian Games. ! Big hits in the final overs as she provides the perfect finish to India’s innings against Sri Lanka! Watch Sri Lanka vs India, in the Women's Cricket Final at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, LIVE NOW on Sony pic.twitter.com/l6WJHKCwEL— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 22, 2026SHAFALI NEVER LEAVES THE STORY
Shafali's 48 was only the beginning of her evening. She had given India the kind of start they wanted with the bat, but it was with the ball that she delivered two blows that really began to squeeze the life out of Sri Lanka's chase.
Imesha Dulani had spent 10 balls trying to get going before deciding she had to take a chance against Shafali. She charged, Shafali spotted it early and pulled the length back. Dulani swung and missed, and Richa Ghosh had the bails off in a flash.
Hasini Perera lasted only three balls. Again, Shafali varied her pace and length, and again the batter tried to force the issue. This time the shot went high towards cover, where Bharti Fulmali settled underneath it.
They were not spectacular wickets, but they were important ones. Sri Lanka needed someone to hang around and build a partnership, and Shafali kept making sure they could not get that far.
There was a familiar feel to it, too. Shafali had produced an all-round performance in India's 2025 Women's ODI World Cup final against South Africa, scoring 87 before taking two wickets as India won the title. She was named Player of the Match that night. A year later, in another final, she was again finding ways to influence the game in both innings.After making an impact with the bat, Shafali Verma strikes with the ball in the Powerplay to break Sri Lanka’s opening stand in the Gold Medal Final! Watch Sri Lanka vs India, in the Women's Cricket Final at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network pic.twitter.com/vTxWKlLn7S— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 22, 2026
Sri Lanka's hopes were increasingly tied to Athapaththu. The captain had made 29 from 21 and, for a short while, looked capable of giving the chase some momentum. India knew her wicket was the one that could shut the door.
Athapaththu tried to take on the spinner, but Deepti got enough flight on the ball to beat her. The resulting mis-hit went towards long-off, where Fulmali took another important catch. Athapaththu stood there for a moment before walking off, visibly frustrated. She knew Sri Lanka had lost their best chance of making India sweat.
After that, the game began to move very quickly in India's direction.GOLD, DEFENDED IN STYLE
Once Athapaththu was gone, Sri Lanka were left with too much ground to cover and too little batting to do it with. India had 216 on the board, and their spinners made sure the chase never got the chance to develop into anything more than a procession.
Deepti Sharma kept the batters tied down through the middle overs and finished with three wickets. Around her, India kept the field tight, waited for Sri Lanka to take the risks they had to take and were ready whenever the mistimed shot came their way.
Sri Lanka never put together the partnership they needed. Every time two batters began to look settled, India found a way through. There was no need for Harmanpreet Kaur to make defensive changes or search desperately for a breakthrough. The wickets kept coming.
Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 69, giving India a 147-run victory and their second consecutive Asian Games women's cricket gold.
The margin was huge, but India's control of the final was the more telling part. Mandhana and Shafali had taken the game away in the opening innings, Richa Ghosh had finished the job with the bat, and the bowlers never allowed Sri Lanka to build even a hint of a comeback.
For India, the gold also had a little more weight to it.
They had entered the 2026 Asian Games without a medal, and it was the women's cricket team that finally put one on the board, delivering India's first gold medal of the Games.
It also brought the story back to where it began. When women's cricket made its Asian Games debut in Hangzhou in 2023, India beat Sri Lanka in the final to win the inaugural gold. Three years later, the same two teams met again with the same prize at stake.
Only this time, there was never much doubt about who was going to.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 13:25 IST
