India’s women’s cricket team won the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday, September 22. India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs at Karogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi.
The victory gave India their second straight Asian Games gold in women’s cricket. They had also won the title at Hangzhou in 2023.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat. India produced a record total of 216 for three. Smriti Mandhana led the scoring with 79 off 45 balls. Richa Ghosh added an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls.
India then produced an excellent bowling display. Sri Lanka were bowled out for only 69 runs. Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 6.
After the win, Kaur spoke about the importance of the gold medal. She also hoped India would collect more gold medals in other events at the Asian Games.
“It feels good to get a gold medal. For any athlete, it’s a dream. Our team has opened the gate of gold medals,” Kaur was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
“The more gold medals India wins, the better for us. We are going back (to India) tomorrow. But, we will definitely follow (other events),” she added.
Harmanpreet Kaur reflects on historic gold
Kaur said winning the medal had been the team’s main goal from the start of the tournament. She also spoke about the pride of seeing the Indian flag and hearing the national anthem.
“It’s a big thing for me, and for the team (to win gold). Since we came here, we had only one aim – to take the gold medal from here. We want to see our flag fly high and the national anthem sung. But, we didn’t know, we will be the first one to get the gold. I am sure the other athletes will win a lot of gold medals,” Kaur said.
She also highlighted how cricket’s inclusion in the Asian Games has given players a chance to compete for medals.
“As a cricketer, we always wanted to be part of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics because we have always participated in bilateral series, World Cup and Asia Cup. But we didn’t know how it feels when you play for a medal. We didn’t have much experience with those things.” Kaur said.
“But thankfully, we got a chance to play in the last two editions. Before us, so many cricketers came, but they didn’t get that chance. I am sure in future, facilities-wise, stadium-wise and crowd-wise, these things will improve,” she added.
Kaur also said the medals were special because the players could keep them.
“And now, at least we can also frame two medals back home because when we win trophies, they go to the (BCCI) office. They don’t come back to us. But this is something which belongs to us,” Kaur said.
