India’s women’s cricket team won the country’s first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the T20 final in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, produced a strong all-round performance after choosing to bat first. The team scored 216 runs for three wickets in 20 overs. Smriti Mandhana was the leading scorer with 79 runs from 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 runs. Richa Ghosh added an unbeaten 49 from just 22 balls, helping India finish with a high total.
Sri Lanka struggled during the chase and was eventually bowled out for 69 runs in 15.4 overs. India’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout the innings, completing a comprehensive victory. The result also gave India its second consecutive Asian Games women’s cricket gold, following the team’s triumph at Hangzhou in 2023.
The final also marked a major individual milestone for Smriti Mandhana, who became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs
