History is made! Team India clinched the historic Gold medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou on Monday beating Sri Lanka in the final. Titas Sadhu’s three-fer and brilliant partnership on 75 runs by Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues helped India reach 116/7. India beat Sri Lanka by 19 runs.
Oshadi Ranasinghe kept Sri Lanka alive for the longest time in chase but her wicket has now left Sri Lanka with 30 to get off the last 2 overs. Titas Sadhu orchestrated a dream start with the ball for India women picking up three wickets in two overs. At 14/3, Sri Lanka women were lifted by a 36-run partnership between Hasini Perera and Nilakshi de Silva. Rajeshwari Gayakwad gave India a much-needed breakthrough through the wicket of Perera but the job is not done.
This was after India Women endured another batting collapse and posted a total of 116/7 against Sri Lanka Women in the cricket gold medal final. From 89/1, the team lost six wickets for just 27 runs in the last five overs. While the pitch wasn’t exactly a batting paradise, IND W should have aimed for a higher total. Batting was challenging on this pitch, but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues displayed admirable resistance against the Sri Lankan spinners. They formed a solid half-century partnership, adding 73 runs for the second wicket.
After IND W captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Varma and Mandhana both found the early boundaries. But Shafali was soon out stumped. After a promising partnership, Mandhana fell just four runs short of her fifty, as Sri Lanka struck in quick succession to dismiss her and Richa Ghosh. From that point, Indai women faced a downhill slide, with the wickets of Harmanpreet, Pooja Vastrakar, Rodrigues, and Amanjot Kaur going down rapidly.
The Indian women’s cricket team stands on the brink of an extraordinary achievement as they square off against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games final for a historic gold medal. India’s women, following impressive victories over Malaysia and Bangladesh yesterday, have rightfully earned their place in this coveted gold medal match. Joining them in this showdown is Sri Lanka, who secured an impressive win against Pakistan in yesterday’s semifinal. The Indian women’s team, having exhibited relentless determination throughout, will receive an additional boost with the return of Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, ready to resume her leadership duties after serving a two-match ban.
