Historic Victory: Indian Women’s Cricket Team Clinches Gold in Asian Cricket

In the Asian Games’ women’s cricket event, India has secured a gold medal. In Monday’s thrilling final match, India defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs. This is India’s first-ever medal in the Asian Games’ cricket event, marking their debut in this competition.

The Indian team won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring 116 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Sri Lanka was set a target of 117 runs. Sri Lanka’s team managed to score only 97 runs in 20 overs, losing 8 wickets. India’s Titasi took the most wickets, securing three vital dismissals.

Smriti Mandhana was the highest run-scorer for India, amassing 46 runs off 45 balls. Besides her, Jemimah Rodrigues played an important inning, scoring 42 runs off 40 balls. For Sri Lanka, Enoke Ranavira, Sugandhika Kumari, and Udeshika Prabodhani each took 2 wickets.

India dominated the match with their excellent batting and bowling performance, and this victory will be remembered as a significant achievement in women’s cricket for India.

In Sri Lanka’s innings, Hasini Perera scored the most runs, making 25 runs off 22 balls. Apart from her, Nipuni Hansika managed to score 23 runs off 34 balls. On the Indian side, Titasi Sadhu took the most wickets, grabbing 3 wickets by conceding only 6 runs in 4 overs. Rajeshwari Gayakwad took 2 wickets for 20 runs. Meanwhile, Deepthi Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, and Devika Vaidya each took 1 wicket.

The Indian team had a good start but struggled after the initial overs. They scored 86 runs for the loss of one wicket in 14 overs, but in the next 6 overs, they lost 6 wickets for just 30 runs. Except for Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, no other player spent much time at the crease.

This is How India’s wickets fell:

First: Shafali Verma (9 runs): Stumped by Sanjeevani off Sugandhika Kumari’s fourth over.

Second: Smriti Mandhana (46 runs): Caught out by Prabodhini’s hand at the fifth ball of Ranavira’s 15th over.

Third: Richa Ghosh (9 runs): Caught out by Sanjeevani off Ranavira’s third ball of the 18th over.

Fourth: Harmanpreet Kaur (2 runs): Caught out by Sanjeevani’s hand at the fifth ball of Prabodhini’s 19th over.

Fifth: Pooja Vastrakar (2 runs): Caught by Sugandhika off Gunaratne’s fourth ball of the 20th over.

Sixth: Jemimah Rodrigues (42 runs): Caught out by Prabodhini off the second ball of Gunaratne’s 20th over.

Seventh: Harmanjot Kaur (1 run): Run-out by Sanjeevani while attempting to steal a run.

Despite a strong start, the Indian team faced a challenging time in the latter part of their innings.

Powerplay: Sri Lanka’s Poor Start

Sri Lanka’s team had a shaky start as they lost 3 wickets and managed to score only 28 runs in the first 6 overs. Titasi Sadhu took three wickets during the powerplay.

Mandhana-Rodrigues’ Half-Century Partnership After losing Shefali’s wicket for 16 runs, Mandhana and Rodrigues formed a crucial partnership, adding 73 runs. Both batters contributed significantly, with Mandhana scoring 46 runs and Rodrigues scoring 42 runs. This partnership was broken by Inoka Ranaweera.

Team India Playing Eleven: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Harmanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Titasi Sadhu, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

Sri Lanka: Chamari Atapattu (Captain), Anushka Sanjeewani, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhini, Inoka Ranaweera, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Sugandhika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, and Oshadi Ranasinghe.