Asian Games 2026: India clinches first gold as Harmanpreet Kaur side thrashes Sri Lanka in final

Indian women's cricket team have secured the nation’s first gold medal in the Asian Games 2026. They defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the Asian Games cricket final at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin to secure the medal. 

The day started with a stunning batting show from the opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. They stitched an opening stand of 99 runs, with Shafali scoring 48 runs off 29 balls. After she departed, Smriti took over the charge, scoring 79 runs off 45 balls. Batting at three, captain Harmanpreet Kaur



struggled to make an impression and that’s when Smriti herself kept the scoreboard ticking. 

After she moved back to the pavilion, Richa Ghosh stunned the Sri Lanka bowlers. The Siliguri-born changed the complexion of he contest, which Sri Lanka slightly brought into their favour in the middle overs. The keeper-batter smacked an unbeaten 49 runs off 22 balls as India posted 216 runs on the board in the first innings. It is the highest-ever total in Asian Games history. Meanwhile, Smriti also completed 11,000 runs in international cricket.