<p>By winning their first-ever gold medal in cricket at the Asian Games, the Indian women’s cricket team made history. India defeated Sri Lanka in a dramatic final at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou by a score of 19 runs. India choose to bat first on the difficult surface, setting a modest goal of 116 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. A pivotal 73-run partnership for the second wicket between Smriti Mandhana (46) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42) marked the turning point of their innings.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-202872″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-asian-games-2023-indias-womens-cricket-team-wins-a-historic-match-images-2023-09-2.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com asian games 2023 indias womens cricket team wins a historic match images 2023 09 2″ width=”964″ height=”722″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-asian-games-2023-indias-womens-cricket-team-wins-a-historic-match-images-2023-09-2.jpg 259w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-asian-games-2023-indias-womens-cricket-team-wins-a-historic-match-images-2023-09-2-150×112.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 964px) 100vw, 964px” title=”Asian Games 2023: India's women's cricket team wins a historic match 6″></p>
<p>In response, Sri Lanka had trouble getting going and could only produce 97 runs in their allocated 20 overs while losing 8 wickets. India’s top performance was Titas Sadhu, who wreaked havoc with her outstanding bowling stats of 3 for 6 in 4 overs. With the dismissals of Vishmi Gunaratne (0), Anushka Sanjeewani (1), and Chamari Athapaththu (12), the teenage fast bowler demolished Sri Lanka’s top order and gave their pursuit a shaky start.</p>
<p>In a match under extreme pressure, Harmanpreet Singh, who had served a two-game suspension, won the toss and decided to bat first. However, India suffered a blow right on as Shafali Varma (9) was lost in the fourth over. India was saved by the team of Rodrigues and Mandhana, whose outstanding 73-run combination stabilized the innings. Mandhana’s innings included four boundaries and a six, while Rodrigues added five boundaries his route to a respectable 42-run performance.</p>
<p>India’s momentum was unfortunately halted when Mandhana’s wicket was taken in the 15th over, just as they were about to set a target that was closer to 150 runs. India found it difficult to pick up the pace after that, scoring only 27 runs in the last five overs. India concluded their innings at 116 for 7 in 20 overs after cheaply falling Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Pooja Vastrakar.</p>
<p>With two wickets apiece for Sri Lanka’s Prabodhani, Ranaweera, and Sugandika Kumari, their bowling unit made an admirable attempt to limit an all-star Indian batting team to a subpar score. However, it was always going to be difficult to pursue the goal of 117 on a slow-turning track.</p>
<p>In the first five overs of Sri Lanka’s run chase, Titas Sadhu’s destructive spell continued as they lost their first three wickets for only 14 runs. India got off to a fantastic start thanks to Sadhu’s dismissals of Vishmi Gunaratne, Anushka Sanjeewani, and Chamari Athapaththu. Though Sri Lanka provided some momentary resistance with Hasini Perera (25), Nilakshi de Silva (23), and Oshadi Ranasinghe (19), India’s bowlers kept chipping away at their lineup, never letting them take control of the game. With one wicket apiece, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, and Deepti Sharma also made a contribution.</p>
<p>India’s route to the Asian Games 2023 gold medal game was amazing. Even though their first match against Malaysia was postponed, they still advanced to the semifinals because to their better ranking. India demonstrated its superiority in the semi-finals by beating Bangladesh by 8 wickets to go to the championship game.</p>
<p>On the other side, Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 6 wickets to go to the championship game, setting up an intriguing matchup with India.</p>
<p>India had a memorable day at the Asian Games 2023 today as Indian shooters won the men’s 10m air rifle team event and a gold medal overall.</p>
<p> </p>
Asian Games 2023: India’s women’s cricket team wins a historic match
