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India Women Strike Gold In Historic Asian Games 2023 Cricket Triumph
By CricShots - Sep 25, 2023 4:36 pm
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The Indian women’s cricket team etched their names in the annals of history at the Asian Games 2023 on Monday, securing a momentous victory by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. This remarkable achievement marked the Indian cricket team’s inaugural participation in the cricket events of the Asian Games, with the women’s team clinching the top spot on the podium through a stellar all-around performance.

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India women’s win gold in Asian Games 2023

While cricket was included in the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014, neither the men’s nor the women’s Indian cricket team had participated in the event until now. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the Indian team welcomed back captain Harmanpreet Kaur after her two-match suspension. Following the early dismissal of Shafali Verma, opener Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues steadied the innings.

Inoka Ranaweera provided Sri Lanka with the much-needed breakthrough, dismissing Smriti for a well-made 46 off 45 balls, comprising four boundaries and a six. At 89/2 in 14.5 overs, the partnership of 73 runs between Mandhana and Rodrigues came to an end.ย This wicket triggered a collapse in the Indian innings, with the exception of Rodrigues, who contributed 42 runs from 40 balls, including five fours.

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No other batter could withstand the Sri Lankan side’s pressure, and India concluded their innings at 116/7 in 20 overs. For Sri Lanka, Kumari (2/30), Ranaweera (2/21), and Udeshika Prabodhani (2/16) were among the wicket-takers. In their pursuit of 117 runs, Sri Lanka faced difficulties against medium-pacer Titas Sandhu, who removed the top order, including skipper Chamari Athapaththu (12), Anushka Sanjeewani (1), and Vishmi Gunaratne (0), reducing SL to 14/3 in 4.2 overs.

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Hasini Perera and Nilakshi de Silva started the rebuilding process for Sri Lanka, taking them past the 50-run mark in 9.3 overs. However, Rajeshwari Gayakwad swung the tide in India’s favor by dismissing Hasini for 25 off 22 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six. At 50/4 in 9.5 overs, Sri Lanka faced an uphill battle.

From thereon, spinners Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya tightened the screws on Sri Lanka’s run-scoring. But Nilakshi and Oshadi Ranasinghe mounted a counterattack with some boundaries, leaving Sri Lanka with 43 runs to get in the final five overs.

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However, Pooja Vastrakar, India’s standout performer in the semifinal with the ball, removed Nilakshi for 23 off 34 balls, terminating a hard-fought 28-run partnership. Sri Lanka found themselves at 78/5 in 16.1 overs.

Deepti also accounted for Ranasinghe, who valiantly contributed 19 runs from 26 balls. At 86/6 in 17.4 overs, Sri Lanka was left with a daunting task of scoring 30 runs in the final two overs. Unfortunately for them, they fell 19 runs short of India’s total, securing a historic victory for the Indian women’s cricket team.

Here is how the netizens reacted to the vitory of the Indian team:

Tags Asian GamesAsian Games 2023historyIndia women's teamtriumphVictoryWomen's cricket

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