Asian Games 2026: India Wins Women’s Cricket Gold
Why in News?
The Indian women’s cricket team won the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final on 22 September 2026. The match was played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. India scored 216 runs for 3 wickets in 20 overs, while Sri Lanka was dismissed for 69 runs in 15.4 overs. This victory gave India its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games and helped the team retain its women’s cricket title. Source: Reuters
India’s Performance in the Final
India won the toss and elected to bat first. Smriti Mandhana scored 79 runs off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 runs. Richa Ghosh provided a powerful finish with an unbeaten 49 runs from 22 balls.
India posted 216/3, setting Sri Lanka a target of 217 runs. The Indian bowling attack then restricted Sri Lanka to 69 runs. Deepti Sharma took three wickets for six runs, while Shafali Verma claimed two wickets. India won by 147 runs and secured its second consecutive Asian Games gold medal in women’s cricket, following its victory at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. Source: AFP
Smriti Mandhana’s International Cricket Record
During the final, Smriti Mandhana became the first woman cricketer to complete 11,000 international runs across all three formats. She needed 13 runs before the match and reached the landmark early in her innings. Her aggregate at the milestone included runs in Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket. Source: ABP Live
On 20 September 2026, Mandhana had also become the leading run-scorer in women’s T20I cricket, surpassing New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. Earlier, on 3 September 2026, she scored her 18th international century against Hong Kong in the Women’s Asia Cup.
Asian Games 2026 India Women’s Cricket Gold: Important Facts for Exams
- Organising body: Olympic Council of Asia
- Asian Games 2026 host region: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
- Gold-medal match: India vs Sri Lanka
- Winning margin: 147 runs
- India’s score: 216/3 in 20 overs
- Sri Lanka’s score: 69 all out in 15.4 overs
- Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur
- Smriti Mandhana’s milestone: First woman cricketer to score 11,000 international runs
- Cricket format: T20, with a maximum of 20 overs per side
