The India women’s cricket team secured a 19-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final, clinching a gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games 2023. This marked India’s second gold medal achievement during the 2023 Asian Games.
Indian women's cricket team wins Gold at the #AsianGames with a dominant win over Sri Lanka, led by 18-year-old sensation #TitasSadhu's bowling brilliance (3 for 6). Congratulations to the team and support staff for this historic achievement! š®š³ @BCCIWomen pic.twitter.com/md78olzIxS
---Advertisement---— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 25, 2023
Harmanpreet Kaur, leading the Indian team, won the toss and chose to bat in the final match. The opening batsman, Shafali Varma, was the first to depart, falling victim to Sugandika Kumari, who claimed her first wicket of the day. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues then combined to form a crucial 73-run partnership, reviving India’s prospects.
However, Mandhana fell just short of her 23rd T20I half-century, dismissed by Inoka Ranaweera after scoring 46 runs off 45 deliveries, including five boundaries and a six. Rodrigues contributed 42 runs from 40 balls but lacked support from her teammates as wickets continued to tumble. Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, and Amanjot Kaur all came and went without making significant contributions.
Despite reaching 102 for 3 after 16.4 overs, India managed to post a total of 116 for 7 after 20 overs. Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, and Ranaweera were the standout bowlers for Sri Lanka, each claiming two wickets.
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India commenced the second innings strongly, capturing three early wickets. Titas Sadhu made a notable impact with the new ball, dismissing both openers Chamari Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani, and also cleaning up Vishmi Gunaratne. This left Sri Lanka struggling at 14 for 3 in 4.2 overs.
However, Hasini Perera and Nilakshi de Silva’s partnership of 36 runs revived Sri Lanka’s hopes. Perera scored 25 runs off 22 balls before being dismissed by Rajeshwari Gayakwad. De Silva was the next to fall, bowled by Vastrakar after scoring 23 runs off 34 deliveries. Oshadi Ranasinghe was the final wicket to fall as India stepped up their bowling performance, thanks to some excellent spells by Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya.
Sri Lanka concluded their innings with a total of 97 for 8 after 20 overs, falling short by 19 runs. Sadhu was the standout bowler for India, claiming three wickets while conceding just six runs in four overs. With this victory, India secured their second gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games 2023.
IT'S A GOLD š„
Congratulations to our Women's Cricket Team on their astounding debut at the #AsianGames and bring home š®š³'s 1st-ever GOLD in Cricket!!
Valiant effort and terrific fielding from the #WomenInBlue, rising from the ashes and leaving cricket fans at the edge ofā¦ pic.twitter.com/U8NX4hr55E
— Anurag Thakur (ą¤®ą„ą¤¦ą„ ą¤ą¤¾ ą¤Ŗą¤°ą¤æą¤µą¤¾ą¤°) (@ianuragthakur) September 25, 2023
Taking the matter to X (formerly know as Twitter), Union Minister Anurag Thakur wrote, “It’s gold… Congratulations to our Women’s Cricket Team on their astounding debut at the Asian Games and bring home 1st-ever gold in Cricket!! Valiant effort and terrific fielding from the Women In Blue, rising from the ashes and leaving cricket fans at the edge of their seats till the very last moment…”.
