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STUMP VISION OCTOBER 02, 2026 | The Indian Eye 42

India’s Women Cricketers Turn

Gold Into a Statement of Strength

India’s women’s cricket team delivered a dominant Asian Games campaign, retaining its title with an

emphatic victory over Sri Lanka and underlining the growing strength and depth of the Women in Blue.

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi
ndia’s women’s cricket team has added another
significant chapter to its rise with a second con-
Isecutive Asian Games gold medal, defeating Sri
Lanka by 147 runs in the final at the Aichi-Nagoya
Games.
The victory was not merely a successful defence
of the title won at Hangzhou in 2023. It was also a
demonstration of India’s growing depth in women’s
cricket, with experienced players and emerging tal-
ents contributing at crucial moments. The scale of
the final victory — India scoring 216/3 before dis-
missing Sri Lanka for just 69 in 15.4 overs — reflect-
ed the team’s dominance across both batting and
bowling.
For captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the unbeaten
campaign was particularly satisfying because the
team had entered the tournament with an emphasis
on maintaining high standards rather than simply
chasing results.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Harmanpreet said
after the victory, highlighting the team’s positive
mindset and the contribution of every player who
received an opportunity. India’s women have now won the Asian Games title twice in succession (ANI)
India had already demonstrated its strength be-
fore reaching the final. The team defeated Japan by Harmanpreet particularly highlighted the bal- 2026 Games.
eight wickets and Bangladesh by 114 runs to book ance between youth and experience within the The victory also drew congratulations from
its place in the title clash. The campaign came after bowling unit. Young bowlers Kranti Gaud and Nan- across Indian cricket and the country’s sporting
another unbeaten run in the Asia Cup, where India dini Kashyap were given responsibility in the power- establishment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi de-
defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win the title. play, while established spinners Deepti Sharma and scribed the performance as a splendid triumph and
The final against Sri Lanka produced another Shreyanka Patil provided consistency. praised the team’s confidence, skill and teamwork.
comprehensive performance. The captain said the team’s bowling unit had Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha,
Asked to bat first, India posted 216/3 in 20 put in considerable work before the tournament who recalled her role in supporting the inclusion of
overs. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a spec- and that the youngsters responded impressively cricket in the Games, also celebrated the gold medal.
tacular 79 from 45 balls, striking five fours and sev- when given important responsibilities. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar highlighted
en sixes. Shafali Verma added 48 from 29 deliveries, The victory also reflects a wider change in the the collective nature of the performance, pointing
with the pair providing India with a strong platform. profile of Indian women’s cricket. A team that once to Mandhana and Shafali’s opening partnership,
Richa Ghosh then supplied the late acceler- depended heavily on a handful of senior players is Ghosh’s late hitting and the subsequent contribu-
ation, smashing an unbeaten 49 from just 22 balls. increasingly developing a broader pool of perform- tion of the bowlers.
Mandhana’s performance carried an additional ers capable of taking responsibility on the interna- The gold medal has therefore become more
landmark. Her half-century was her 37th in T20 in- tional stage. than another entry in India’s medal tally. It is a re-
ternationals, while she also became the first woman Head coach Amol Muzumdar described the tri- flection of the increasing depth of women’s cricket
cricketer to reach 11,000 runs in international crick- umph as a “surreal feeling” and said the team’s high in the country.
et. With 217 required for victory, Sri Lanka never skill level could make such success increasingly regular India’s women have now won the Asian Games
came close to challenging India. The Indian bowl- if the players continued to perform to their potential. title twice in succession. At Aichi-Nagoya, they did
ing attack dismantled the Sri Lankan batting order, The players themselves echoed that sense of it with authority — combining explosive batting, dis-
which was bowled out for 69 in 15.4 overs. collective achievement. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa ciplined bowling and a squad in which both estab-
Deepti Sharma was the outstanding performer Ghosh said the team had entered the tournament lished stars and younger players stepped up when
with the ball, taking three wickets for just six runs. with the clear objective of winning gold. Deepti required. The message from the campaign is clear:
Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani Sharma, who played a decisive role in the final, said India’s women’s cricket team is building not just a
claimed two wickets each as India completed one of retaining the title brought “double the joy”, partic- winning side, but a deeper and increasingly confi-
its most emphatic victories at the continental level. ularly because it was India’s first gold medal of the dent cricketing force.

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