India Women complete back-to-back final wins over Sri Lanka
India win first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games beating Sri Lanka in another final
Dubai: The Sri Lanka women’s cricket team will be sick of the sight of India who beat them in yet another cricket final, as the nation earnt their first gold medal at the 2026 Asian games.
It was a repeat of the Women’s Asia Cup final in Dubai just a few weeks ago, where India comfortably defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs, and that recent success gave the defending champions a clear psychological advantage heading into another final between the two sides.
India won the toss and chose to bat first in the Asian Games gold medal clash, and they wasted little time taking control of the contest. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana came out aggressively, powering India to a run rate of around 10 an over during the opening stages.
The opening pair put on 99 for the first wicket before Verma departed for 48. Mandhana continued her onslaught, reaching a 30-ball half-century before eventually falling for 79 from 45 deliveries, with her innings featuring seven sixes.
India showed no signs of slowing down after Mandhana’s dismissal, with Richa Ghosh taking the attack to Sri Lanka. She smashed 49 from just 22 balls as India finished on 216-3.
Sri Lanka faced a huge task in response but struggled to build any momentum. India’s bowlers dismantled the batting order, dismissing Sri Lanka for just 69 to secure a commanding 147-run victory and the Asian Games gold medal.
Triple final wins over Sri Lanka
Not only was it India women’s second final win over Sri Lanka in just a couple of weeks, following their dominant display in the Asia Cup, but it was also a repeat of the 2023 Asian Games final, when India defeated Sri Lanka to claim gold in Hangzhou.
With another convincing victory in 2026, India have now beaten Sri Lanka in the final of both recent editions of the Asian Games, as well as the Asia Cup final.
