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India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs to win Asian Games women’s cricket gold
India secured its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games with a 147-run victory over Sri Lanka in the women’s cricket final in Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday.
India, the defending champions, scored 216-3 after deciding to bat first and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 69 in 15.4 overs. With the victory, India also defended the women’s cricket title they had won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
India’s Smriti Mandhana (79 from 45 balls) and Shafali Verma (48 from 29) led the batting. India scored the highest total in women’s cricket at the Asian Games with Richa Ghosh hitting an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls, reports said.
Sri Lanka’s run chase was a bumpy ride, with captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scoring with 29 runs. Shafali Verma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil took two wickets each, while Deepti Sharma claimed 3 for 6. The victory was India’s first gold of the 2026 Games.