The Indian women's cricket team once again demonstrated its superiority at the Asian Games 2026. Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, on September 22nd (Tuesday), the Indian team secured a convincing victory over Sri Lanka in the final match held at Korogi Sports Park, Nishin. The victory was achieved by a margin of 147 runs.
Previously, under Harmanpreet Kaur's guidance, India won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022.
In the final, after deciding to bat first following the toss, the Indian team received a powerful start thanks to Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Both players formed a partnership for the first wicket, scoring 99 runs in just 60 balls.
Smriti scored 79 runs off 45 balls, including 5 fours and 7 sixes. Meanwhile, Shafali contributed 48 runs off 29 balls, which included 3 fours and 3 sixes. During this innings, Smriti reached a historic milestone, becoming the first woman in international cricket to score 11,000 runs.
Although captain Harmanpreet Kaur could not play a major innings, Richa Ghosh took responsibility for finishing the game. Harmanpreet left the field having scored 19 runs. Richa, however, displayed an explosive performance, remaining unbeaten and scoring 49 runs off 22 balls, which included 6 fours and 3 sixes. Thanks to her aggressive play, India managed to post a substantial total of 216/3 in 20 overs, marking the highest score in the history of women's cricket at the Asian Games.
The Sri Lankan team, chasing the target, faced a very poor start. Six Sri Lankan players were dismissed within the first 50 runs. Sri Lanka's captain, Chamari Athapaththu, scored the most runs—29.
Ultimately, the entire Sri Lankan team was dismissed, scoring only 69 runs. Thus, India won the final match by a margin of 147 runs. The Indian players showed outstanding bowling performances. Dipthi Sharma took the most wickets—3 wickets. Shafali Verma, Shri Charani, and Shreyanka Patil each took two wickets.
For Shafali, the Asian Games 2026 were successful. In the quarter-final against Japan, she contributed as both a batter and a bowler. In the semi-final, she played a historic innings, scoring 100 runs without being out against Bangladesh, which helped India reach the final. In the final, Shafali also delivered a quick innings of 48 runs and remained a key player in India's campaign at the tournament.
India won its first gold medal in women's cricket at the Asian Games in 2023 in Hangzhou. In 2026, the Indian team participated as the reigning champion and retained their title by reaching the final.
