Asian Games: Smriti Mandhana stars as India retain women’s cricket gold medal

India retained their gold medal in women’s cricket at the Asian Games, crushing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in a one-sided final to secure their first gold of the 2026 Games. Smriti Mandhana’s superb 79 set up a record 216/3 before the Indian bowlers completed a ruthless defence.

Mandhana and Shafali Verma got India off to the perfect start as they added 99 for the opening wicket, with Shafali contributing a brisk 48. Mandhana then took center stage and produced a brilliant 79 before Richa Ghosh provided the late fireworks with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls as India posted the highest women’s total in Asian Games cricket history.

The chase in Sri Lanka never got going. Shafali was also excellent with the ball, striking twice, while Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani kept the pressure on relentlessly. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for just 69, leaving India with a dominant 147-run victory and another Asian Games gold medal.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

22 Sep 2026 13:25 IST