Asian Games: Women's cricket delivers first gold medal; Harmanpreet praises team for unbeaten run, says everyone executed vision with confidence

The Indian women's team continued their sensational run at the continental level, winning their second successive Asian Games gold medal after fireworks from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, as the spinners bowled Women in Blue to a massive 147-run win in the title clash against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. 

In reply to India's massive 216/3, Sri Lanka folded for 69 in 15.4 overs.

With this win, India secured their first Asian Games gold of this edition, having already secured four silvers and two bronze medals. This is India's seventh medal at the ongoing Asian Games.

After the win, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she was delighted with India’s unbeaten gold medal-winning campaign, praising the team for maintaining high standards, a positive mindset and consistently strong performances throughout the tournament.

Notably, India reached the finals after defeating Japan by 8 wickets and Bangladesh by 114 runs. Before their Asian Games rr, the Women in Blue had a sensational run in the Asia Cup, where they stayed unbeaten and defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to clinch the title.

“(On remaining unbeaten and maintaining team standards) It’s a fantastic feeling. Before the tournament, we talked a lot about staying unbeaten, but more importantly, about playing to the high standards we set for ourselves. It’s so satisfying to see everyone approach every game with such a positive mindset. Every single player who got an opportunity stepped up and delivered solid performances. As a captain and as a collective, that's exactly what we were looking for, maintaining an unbeaten run while consistently putting in this quality of performance is what we expected of ourselves, and it’s great to see everyone execute that vision with confidence,” Harmanpreet Kaur said after their Asian Games gold medal win.

Harmanpreet credited India’s bowling unit for its strong performance, praising young bowlers Kranti Gaud and Nandini Kashyap for handling responsibility well, while highlighting the consistency of experienced spinners Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma. She said the blend of youth and experience was well balanced and the team delivered when it mattered.

Notably, after India scored 216/3, their bowlers dismantled the Sri Lankan batting line-up, dismissing them for 69 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma led the attack with figures of 3/6, while Shafali Verma and Shreyanka Patil claimed two wickets each. Shree Charani also picked up two wickets.

(On the blend of youth and experience in the squad) Our bowling unit deserves special credit because we put a tremendous amount of work into it. Young bowlers like Kranti (Gaud) and Nandini (Kashyap) took on massive responsibilities, and the way they responded, especially with their spell in the power-play was outstanding. That was something our bowling coach and the staff had been working very closely with them on. Beyond the youngsters, our spin attack remains our core strength, bowlers like Shreyanka (Patil) and Deepti (Sharma) are consistent match-winners and always among the leading wicket-takers. Overall, the balance between experience and fresh talent was spot on, and everyone delivered when it mattered,” she said.

Before bowling Sri Lanka out for 69, India posted a formidable 216/3 after being asked to bat. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma made a brisk 48 off 29 deliveries. Richa Ghosh provided the late impetus with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls. Mandhana's innings included five fours and seven sixes, while her half-century was her 37th in T20 internationals. She also became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 runs in international cricket.

The 147-run victory secured India's second consecutive Asian Games gold in women's cricket, following their title at Hangzhou in 2023.

After the win, India women’s cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar described the team’s Asian Games gold medal triumph as a “surreal feeling”, saying the victory could set the ball rolling for India at the continental event.