Sri Lanka were bowled out for ۶۹ runs, ۱۰ less than Mandhana’s belligerent match-winning innings as India retained gold.
Published On ۲۲ Sep ۲۰۲۶
Smriti Mandhana’s whirlwind innings of ۷۹ runs helped India crush Sri Lanka by ۱۴۷ runs and win a second consecutive women’s cricket gold at the Asian Games.
India smashed ۲۱۶-۳ off their ۲۰ overs, the highest women’s total in Asian Games history, with ۱۸ fours and ۱۳ sixes in the final on Tuesday.
Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali plundered ۲۵ off the final over from the hapless Mithali Ayodhya, who did not help her cause by conceding eight wides.
Sri Lanka were never in the hunt, and captain Chamari Athapaththu’s ۲۹ was their only innings of note as they were skittled for ۶۹ in ۱۵.۴ overs and had to settle for silver.
Opening batter Mandhana hit seven sixes and five fours in a ۴۵-ball knock that sent the ball to all parts of the Korogi Athletic Park ground in Nagoya.
After India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat, Shafali Verma, who made an unbeaten century in the semifinal, and Mandhana put on a blistering opening partnership.
The pair had raced to ۹۹ in the ۱۰th over when Verma had a rush of blood, playing a needless reverse sweep which she top-edged to Kawya Kavindi at point to fall for ۴۸ off ۲۹ balls.
Mandhana, the greatest run-scorer in women’s T۲۰ cricket history, had reached her fifty earlier in the over and sailed on in style, clubbing anything loose to the boundary.
Harmanpreet joined her, and the pair took the score to ۱۴۱ before the captain holed out to long-off for ۱۹.
Mandhana, looking to accelerate further in the latter overs, skied an attempted six and was out in the ۱۷th over with the score on ۱۶۳.
Ghosh clattered ۴۹ off ۲۲ balls with three sixes and six fours to take India past ۲۰۰ in the final over.
Earlier, some late-order hitting by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana set up a ۳۱-run win over Bangladesh in the bronze medal match.
Sana came in with her side rocking at ۶۷-۵ in the ۱۲th over but plundered ۴۵ off ۳۰ balls, including three fours and three sixes, and was out off the last ball of the ۲۰ overs after seeing Pakistan to ۱۴۵-۸.
Her ۶۷-run partnership with Aliya Riaz (۲۵) for the sixth wicket proved the turning point, and Bangladesh could only muster ۱۱۴-۷ in reply.
