Richa Ghosh scored an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls to help India post 216 for 3 in the Asian Games cricket final on September 22.

It is the highest total in Asian Games women’s cricket history.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma had earlier added 99 for the first wicket.

India went on to bowl Sri Lanka out for 69, winning the match by 147 runs.

The win gave India back-to-back Asian Games cricket gold medals.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 in reply, struggling against India’s spin attack.

Deepti Sharma took 3 for 6, while Shafali Verma and Shree Charani each took two wickets.

During her innings, Smriti Mandhana became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs, needing just 13 runs at the start of the match to reach the landmark.

Mandhana’s overall tally at 11,000 runs comprises 788 Test runs, 5,411 ODI runs and 4,788 T20I runs.

It is India’s second consecutive Asian Games gold in women’s cricket, following their first title at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, also against Sri Lanka.

India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the trophy after the win.

The win came a day after India reached the final on the back of Shafali Verma’s unbeaten century in the semifinal against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka had reached the final by beating Pakistan by eight wickets in their semifinal.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, running from September 19 to October 4.

India has continued to add medals in other sports at the Games, including in shooting, hockey and weightlifting.

India Women beat Sri Lanka Women by 147 runs in the Asian Games 2026 cricket gold medal match at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on September 22.

Batting first, India posted 216 for 3, the highest total in Asian Games women’s cricket history.

Indians celebrating a cricket win (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Shafali Verma’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls in the semifinal set up India’s place in the Asian Games cricket final against Sri Lanka.

It was her first century in Women’s T20 Internationals.

India beat Bangladesh by 114 runs in that semifinal.

The final against Sri Lanka began at 10:30 am IST on September 22.

India are the defending champions in the event.

India are the defending champions, having beaten Sri Lanka to win their first Asian Games cricket gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.

India’s squad is led by Harmanpreet Kaur and includes Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.

The winner of the match takes the gold medal, with the loser settling for silver.

India’s route to the final included an eight-wicket win over Japan in the quarterfinal, where they chased 58 in five overs.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India has already won medals in other sports at these Games, including silvers in shooting and a bronze in mixed martial arts.

Weather was flagged as a possible factor for the final, given the wider spell of rain and thunderstorms forecast across parts of India and the region this week.

The match is being shown on the Sony Sports Network and streamed on SonyLIV.

A win for India would make it back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in women’s cricket.

A win for Sri Lanka would be their first Asian Games gold in the sport.

The final follows a group and knockout format used across the Asian Games cricket competition.

The gold medal match between India Women and Sri Lanka Women began at 10:30 am IST on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.

India reached the final after a 114-run win over Bangladesh in the semifinal, powered by Shafali Verma’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls.

Cricket stadium (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Shafali Verma smashed nine sixes in a 49-ball unbeaten 100 against Bangladesh in the Asian Games semifinal.

India scored 195 for 4 and won by 114 runs.

Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 40 and Smriti Mandhana 37.

Bangladesh were all out for 81 in 15.4 overs.

India will now play Sri Lanka in the final.

Deepti Sharma and Nandani Sharma took three wickets each as Bangladesh collapsed to 81.

The 114-run margin was India’s emphatic answer to a Bangladesh side that had reached the semifinal without playing a completed quarterfinal.

India will meet Sri Lanka in the gold medal match on Tuesday, September 22, while Bangladesh will play Pakistan for bronze.

The win guarantees India at least a silver medal at the Asian Games.

India, the defending champions, won gold in women’s cricket at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Earlier in the tournament, India beat Japan by eight wickets in the quarterfinal after bowling them out for 57.

In the quarterfinal, Shafali had hit 40 off 15 balls as India chased 58 in five overs.

The two sides had also met in the Women’s Asia Cup semifinal earlier in September, which India won by 40 runs.

The semifinal was played on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 10:30 am IST.

India’s Asian Games squad features Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh among its senior players.

Sree Charani was India’s leading bowler in the quarterfinal against Japan, taking four wickets.

The win sets up a chance for India to play for gold at a second Asian Games in a row.

India made 195 for 4 in their 20 overs at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, and Bangladesh were bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs.

Shafali Verma scored 100 not out off 49 balls, an innings that included nine sixes.

Shafali Verma (file photo, 2020), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0