Asian Games 2023 Cricket INDW vs SLW: Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian side clinches Gold medal with emphatic win over Sri Lanka

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Indian women's cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs on Monday (September 25) to win the gold medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, who won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, proved they are the best team in Asia with their feat at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field.

Young India pacer Titas Sadhu was the pick of the bowlers as she returned with impressive figures of 4-1-6-3. The right-arm pacer from Chinsura (West Bengal) showed why she's rated highly by cricket experts as she demolished the Sri Lankan top-order inside the powerplay.

Sadhu (18) removed Sri Lankan opener Anushka Sanjeewani (1) and their number three Vishmi Gunaratne (0) in a space of four deliveries. She then returned to give the opposition a massive blow by getting Sri Lankan skipper and their batting mainstay Chamari Athapaththu for 12 in her next over. Asian Games 2023 Final, INDW vs SLW: Titas Sadhu stars with ball

Her sensational bowling display brought India on top in the powerplay as the Sri Lankans were 28 for three in six overs. Hasini Perera (25 off 22), Nilakshi de Silva (23 off 34), and Oshadi Ranasinghe (19 off 26) tried to revive Sri Lankan innings in the run chase by adding valuable partnerships of 34 and 28 respectively. But Perera was dismissed by senior spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwa in the 10th over.

Pooja Vastrakar ended de Silva's innings in the 17th over and Deepti Sharma dismissed Ranasinghe in the next over to bring India on the cusp of win. With the equation climbing to 30 off 12 balls to win, only a miracle from the Sri Lankan tail would have saved them, and that never happened.

The Sri Lankan side could only muster 97 for the loss of eight wickets in the 20 overs and had to settle for a silver medal. Earlier, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan women to clinch the bronze medal. Asian Games 2023: India clinch Five Medals in Rowing - Complete List of Winners

Smriti Mandhana-Jemimah Rodrigues rise to the occasion

Batting first, the Indian women's cricket team posted 116 for the loss of seven wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Senior batters Smriti Mandhana (46 off 45 balls) and Jemmimah Rodrigues (42 of 40 balls) were the top scorers for India against the Chamari Athapaththu-led side.

Mandhana and Rodrigues - who are very good friends off the pitch - shared a stand of 63 runs for the third wicket after explosive opener Shafali Verma was stumped by Anushka Sanjeewani off Sugandika Kumari's delivery for nine off 15 balls.

Once Mandhana (4 fours, 1 six) departed in the 15th over by Ranaweera, Rodrigues shared and Richa Ghosh (9 off 6 balls) took their team past the 100-run mark. But Ghosh too joined her teammates in the dugout in the 17th over while trying to up the ante.

After Ghosh's dismissal, the Women In Blue suffered a batting collapse in the death overs as Harmanpreet Kaur (2), Pooja Vastrakar (2), Rodrigues (42), Amanjot Kaur (1) were departed in a space of next 21 balls. Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 1. Prabodhani (2/16), Sugandika Kumari (2/30) and Ranaweera (2/21) were the pick of the wickets for Sri Lanka.