By Anas Ahmed 
India won the Gold medal after defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the Women’s T20I final of the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China.
This marks the inaugural Gold medal victory for the Indian women’s cricket team at the Asian Games, while the runners-up, Sri Lanka, secured the Silver medal.
While this marked India’s inaugural participation in the Asian Games cricket competition, Sri Lanka had previously competed once before.
India’s returning captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, called it right at the toss and elected to bat first. Sri Lanka were able to eke out an early wicket in the form of Shafali Verma (9) but thereafter Smriti Mandhana (46) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42) stitched a solid 73-run partnership to lift their side. India stuttered towards the end, courtesy of some disciplined Sri Lanka bowling, but managed to reach 116/7
In response, Sri Lanka were rattled by a sharp spell from the young Titas Sadhu (3/6). The pacer took three top-order wickets in the powerplay, including that of the dangerous Chamari Athapaththu. The Sri Lanka middle-order raised hopes by putting up a fight in the middle overs, but India spinners kept the scoring rate in control and took wickets at crucial intervals.
Sri Lanka finished at 97/8, falling short by a 20-run margin. Hasini Perera was the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with a 25.
This victory is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Indian women’s cricket team. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the world in recent years, and they have finally achieved their dream of winning an Asian Games gold medal.
Zainab Shafiq