Asian Games: Indian women bag gold in cricket

India beat Sri Lanka by 19 runs to win gold at Asian Games 2023. 

India won the toss and opted to bat first. Shafali Varma however got out early for a score of 9 in the 4th over after being stumped. Smriti Mandhana was able to stitch a 73-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues for the 3rd wicket that lasted until the 15th over.

However, after Smriti Mandhana departed for 46, India was unable to accelerate in the final 5 overs. Smriti Mandhana was incidentally also the top-scorer for the team. India also lost wickets quickly and managed to reach a total of 116 at the loss of 7 wickets at the end of 20 overs. 

Indian bowlers were however up for the task and grabbed three early wickets reducing Sri Lanka to 14 at the loss of 3 wickets within the first 5 overs. Titas Sadhu picked up all 3 wickets. She also managed to top the wicket takers list for the game. She managed to also be very economical conceding just 6 runs in her 4 overs.  

The middle order offered some stability for Sri Lanka. They needed 39 from 4 overs with 6 wickets in hand. However, India were able to contain the score to 97 at the loss of 8 wickets at the end of 20 overs and managed to grab the gold medal. Bangladesh defeated Pakistan to grab the Bronze medal. Indian men would have their first game on October 3rd. 

Earlier, Sri Lankan women had qualified for the final after a convincing six-wicket win against Pakistan with 21 balls to spare.