IND-W Vs SL-W, 2023 Asian Games Cricket Final: India Women Beat Sri Lanka Women To Win Historic Gold Medal - As It Happened

The Indian women's cricket team have registered their names in the history books. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team have beaten Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final to clinch India's first gold medal in the sport at the Asian Games. With this medal, India have clinched their second gold at the Asian Games 2023. So far, India have won 11 medals. Earlier, India's 10m men's air rifle team earned the country's first gold. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar bagged bronze in 10m men's rifle final individual event while India also won the 25m men's rapid fire pistol team bronze at Asian Games 2023. (Scorecard | Full Coverage | Day 2 Blog | Streaming | Medal Tally | Match Report)

GOLD FOR INDIA!!

2:45 pm: SL - 97/8 (20)
Indian women's Cricket team defeated Sri Lanka Women's Cricket team by 19 runs. Final score SL - 97/8 (20)

2:38 pm: SL - 92/7 (19)
Devika Vaidya back into the attack, bowled a good over and gave just runs. SL needs 25 runs in the final over to win the Asian Games.

2:30 pm: SL - 87/6 (18)
Deepti Sharma gave just three runs in the 18th over. Now the pressure is on Lankan batters. Sri Lanka needs 27 runs off 10 balls.

2:26 pm: SL - 84/5 (17)
Pooja Vastrakar is called back into the attack and sends Nilakshi de Silva back to the pavilion on the 1st ball of the over. Kavisha Dilhari is the new batter with Oshadi Ranasinghe. SL needs 33 runs in 18 balls.

2:20 pm: SL - 78/4 (16)
Titas Sadhu back into the attack and managed to finish her spell with figures of 4-1-6-3. Sri Lanka needs 39 runs off 24 balls.

2:15 pm: SL - 74/4 (15)
India is putting pressure on the Lankan batters. Sri Lanka needs 43 runs in 29 balls.

2:12 pm: SL - 72/4 (14.2)
Clearly, today is not Deepti Sharma's day. She again leaked 8 runs from the over. SL needs 49 runs from 36 balls.

2:07 pm: SL - 60/4 (13)
Devika Vaidya bowled another crucial over and gave only two runs. Sri Lanka need 57 runs off 41 balls now. India in search of quick wickets.

2:02 pm: SL - 54/4 (11)
Devika Vaidya bowled a good over and gave just 3 runs. India is building pressure on the Sri Lankan batters.

1:55 pm: SL - 50/4 (10) 
After conceding consecutive boundaries, Rajeshwari Gayakwad manages to depart dangerous-looking Hasini Perera caught by Vastrakar. Perera goes for 25 runs off 22 balls.

1:50 pm: SL - 38/3 (9)
Amanjot Kaur bowls a good over but the desperate batters are trying to hit everything that comes in the radar. Conceding One six in the over, Amanjot bowls a good over.

1:46 pm: SL - 32/3 (8)
Rajeshwari Gayakwad bowled an economical over conceding only three runs. Run-rate pressure is mounting on Sri Lanka. India going slow and steady.

1:42 pm: SL - 29/3 (7)
Titas Sadhu bowled another good over and conceded just one run. Sri Lanka is not going to take risks in Sadhiu's over, but to target other bowlers.

1:38 pm: SL - 28/3 (6)
Pooja Vastrakar's over concedes 13 valuable runs including 3 fours of Hasini Perera. Sri Lanka is going to play the attacking cricket. Hasini Perera and Nilakshi de Silva are on the crease now.

1:31 pm: SL - 15/3 (5)
Titas Sadhu is on a roll and this time this is the big wicket of Chamari Athapaththu. Sadhu is bowling a fiery spell and Sri Lankan batters seemingly have no answers to his bowls.

1:25 pm: SL - 13/2 (3)
Titas Sadhu rattles the Sri Lankan batting with two quick wickets and puts India again on the front team in the match. It's a two-wicket maiden over by Titas Sadhu. Vishmi Gunaratne and Anushka Sanjeewani back to the pavilion.

1:17 pm: SL - 13/0 (2)
Pooja Vastrakar bowled a good over and conceded only 1 run. Indian team is feeling enthusiasm here as Pooja is showing some fiery bowling.

1:15 pm: SL - 12/0 (1)
Chamari Athapaththu starts with a quick attacking style to collect 12 runs from the first over of the inning. Deepti Sharma has been hit for a six and a four in the over.

Sri Lankan Inning Starts!!

1:02 pm: Inning Recap
Batting first, India got off to a nervy start but a 73-run stand for the second wicket between Srimiti Mandhana (46 off 45) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42 off 40) helped India post a competitive total against Sri Lanka. At one point, India looked set to post 140+ total. But against a probing Sri Lankan attack, backed by good fielding, the majority of Indian batters struggled. Even the two set batters, Mandhana and Rodrigues, during their respective knocks looked frustrated. Comeback captain Harmanpreet Kaur, just like promoted Richa Ghosh hardly troubled the scorers. Shafali Verma, the explosive opener was also uncharastically quiet. But with the pitch getting slower and slower, India will be confident of defending the total. Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera claimed a brace each.

12:58 pm: IND - 116/7 (20)
India managed to score just six runs off the final over and lost two wickets. Jemimah Rodrigues also departs after making a solid 42 off 40 balls. Sri Lanka needs 117 runs to win this match.

12:52 pm: IND - 110/5 (19)
The Indian team is losing wickets in quick succession. Pooja Vastrakar also goes making just 2 off 4 balls. India is struggling for runs. Jemimah is there standing, but India needs a few boundaries now.

12:50 pm: IND - 106/4 (18)
Harmanpreet Kaur also goes to the pavilion with the Indian team struggling for runs in the death overs. Pooja Vastrakar joins the Jemimah Rodrigues on the crease.

12:45 pm: IND - 103/3 (17)
Richa Ghosh departs. Richa was trying to lap it towards the leg side but got caught behind off Ranaweera's bowling. Harmanpreet Kaur now joins Jemimah on the crease.

12:40 pm: IND - 100/2 (16)
Richa Ghosh shows her intentions very clearly. She goes for a six off Sugandhika Kumari's bowl and the Indian team's score is past 100 now.

12:38 pm: IND - 89/2 (15)
Smriti Mandhana tries to slog-sweep off Ranaweera but gets caught by Prabodhani at the square leg. Good innings by Mandhana. Richa Ghosh is the new batter.

12:31 pm: IND - 86/1 (14)
Inoshi Priyadharshani bowls good lengths in his bowling and manages to bowl a very good over from the SL's point of view. Only 5 runs from the over.

12:28 pm: IND - 81/1 (13)
India is shifting gears now. Two fours off Ranaweera, each by two players making a statement of adding quick runs now. 12 runs from the over.

12:25 pm: IND - 69/1 (12)
Mandhana managed to extract 7 runs including a boundary off the Athapaththu over. 

12:16 pm: IND - 62/1 (11)
Left-arm orthodox bowler Inoka Ranaweera bowls a very good over for Sri Lanka, giving no chance to score runs to the Indian batters.

12:11 pm: IND - 59/1 (10)
Off-spinner Kavisha Dilhari joins the attack. Brilliant over, almost. Three singles, then a four off the last ball. Short and wide, and Jemimah Rodrigues finds the gap at cover. Powerfully cut.

12:08 pm: IND - 52/1 (9)
Chamari Athapaththu continues. A dot, and Jemimah Rodrigues gets her second four. Edge and to third man (position). Strong finish to the over, from the Sri Lankan perspective. Six from it. The stand, for India, is now worth 36 in 32 balls.

12:03 pm: IND - 46/1 (8)
Smriti Mandhana is fine. And the left-handed batter takes a fresh guard for a fresh start. A couple of teasing deliveries from Oshadi Ranasinghe. Still a tidy over, five from it.

12:01 pm: IND - 46/1 (7.2)
Oshadi Ranasinghe returns for her second over. Jemimah Rodrigues welcomes her with a four, a slop-sweep. A single, then a brief stoppage. Medical attention required as Smriti Mandhana takes a tumble while completing the run.

11:57 am: IND - 41/1 (7)
Ever-reliable Chamari Athapaththu gets her first over after power play. Busy over. Four singles and a couple. Smriti Mandhana on 24 off 19; Jemimah Rodrigues on 7 off 8 for 25-run stand.

11:53 am: IND - 35/1 (6)
Sugandika Kumari on with her second over. Smriti Mandhana takes charge. A dot, then four past short fine leg as the India vice captain connects her sweep. She then comes down to left the fifth for a six, over long on. Conviction! 12 from the over. Suddenly, it's run rate is alost six.

11:48 am: IND - 23/1 (5)
Inoshi Priyadharshani continues. Jemimah Rodrigues works the first ball past point for a couple. India relying on singles and couples. Only a couple of boundaries so far. Another brilliant over for Sri Lanka.

11:45 am: IND - 17/1 (4)
Double bowling change for Sri Lanka. Sugandika Kumari on. And the left-arm spinner strikes. Shafali Verma goes for heave, off the fourth, but ends up herself stump. Unbalanced and losing the footing. Excellent work behind the wicket by the keeper. Verma goes for 9 off 15. Jemimah Rodrigues in. Four runs and a wicket.

11:40 am: IND - 13/0 (3)
Bowling change. Inoshi Priyadharshani, off spinner, on. A maiden to Shafali Verma. Brilliant over.

11:37 am: IND - 13/0 (2)
Udeshika Prabodhani, left-arm pacer, shares the new ball. Shafali Verma guides the third past midwicket for a four. Sublime touch from the right-handed batter, coming down and feasting on the overpitched delivery. Seven from the over.

11:34 am: IND - 6/0 (1)
Smriti Mandhana creams the fifth ball for a four through cover. Six from the over.

11:30 am: Play Begins
Smriti Mandhana to take the strike. Shafali Verma is her opening partner. Offspinner Oshadi Ranasinghe with the new ball.

11:24 am: The Rituals
Sri Lankan national anthem first, the India's... Few moments of introspection

11:22 am: About That Shooting Gold
The players are out in the middle and India are going for the gold. Earlier in the day, shooters -- a team comprising of Rudrankksh Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar -- not only gave won India's first gold medal at 2023 Asian Games, but also set a new world record (men's 10m air rifle team). Then, Aishwary followed it up with an individual bronze. Read more about him HERE.

11:18 am: Playing XIs
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet  Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Kavisha Dilhari, Sugandika Kumari

11:15 am: Recent Head-to-head
In the last five meetings, India have a 4-1 lead with the aberration hapening on July 27, 2022, during their tour of Sri Lanka -- a seven-wicket defeat in the 3rd T20I Dambulla. In their last meeting, during the 2022 Asia Cup in October, India hammered Sri Lanka by eight wickets with 69 balls to spare.

11:11 am: Toss
Harmanpreet Kaur is back, and she wins the toss. She is leading India for the 100th time. India bravely chose to bat first.

11:09 am: Toss Matters
Both semi-finals were won by the chasing side. In fact, earlier in the day, Bangladesh also won the bronze medal match against chasing.

10:54 am: The Honour Roll
India are record seven-time Asian Cup champions, but they are yet to win a global title. The two-time World Cup finalists, in 2005 and 2017, came close to winning the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, but ended up losing to a dominant Australian side. Today, they can win a first gold. Sri Lanka, the five-time Asia Cup finalists, won Asiad bronze on 2014. Up next, toss.

10:46 am: Lanka Point
Sri Lanka are having good run. They were brilliant against England in England, winning their three-match T20I series. Here in Hangzhou, they started as the third-ranked team, and showed they mean business. But India, the top-ranked side, will be a different beast to deal with.

10:41 am: Kaur's Case
Harmanpreet Kaur is back after serving a two-match ban following her outburst at the match officials during India's recent away series in Bangladesh. Her return will surely boost India's chances.

India Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Kanika Ahuja, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Minnu Mani, Anjali Sarvani, Bareddy Anusha, Uma Chetry

Sri Lanka Squad: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Anushka Sanjeewani  (wk), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Sugandika Kumari, Imesha Dulani, Kaushani Nuthyangana

10:30 am: Bronze for Bangladesh
A shock result. Bangladesh women stunned two-time gold medallists Pakistan in the bronze medal play-off. Opting to bowl first, Bangladesh restricted Pakistan to 64/9 in 20 overs thanks to some brilliant bowling efforts. They then chased down the target in 18.2 overs for a five-wicket win.

10:24 am: The Venue
Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field, as the name suggests, is located in the Pingfeng Campus of Zhejiang University of Technology. This purpose-built venue has a main stadium, warm-up grounds and three storeys of supporting room. It was built in 2020 for the 19th Asiad.  It is the largest cricket field in China. It has previously hosted the 2023 Women's Twenty20 East Asia Cup. It's popularly known as Pingfeng Campus Cricket Ground.

10:00 am: No India Vs Pakistan
Blame it on Sri Lanka! For the second successive major event, there will be no India vs Pakistan cricket match. A week ago, Sri Lankan men's team knocked Pakistn out of the ODI Asia Cup to deny a India-Pakistan final. Yesterday, Sri Lanka women got the better of Pakistan in the semis.But there's a distinct possibility of two bitter rivals meeting in the men's section. Accordin to the script, India are likely to meet Banglades in the semis, while Pakistan are expected to face Sri Lanka. Epic clashes on the cards heere in Hangzhou, in one of the most unlikeliest of cricket venues.

9:46 am: Rodrigues Not Out
Precocoius Indian batter India batter is yet to be dismissed in the 2023 Asian Games. Jemimah Rodrigues, 23, has scored 47 not out off 29 balls in the rainout quarter-final against rain Malaysia. In the semis, she made an unbeaten 20 off 15.

9:20 am: Path to gold medal match
India and Sri Lanka entered the competition from the knockout stage, an honour they earned due to higher rankings. India were in a dominant position against Malaysia, posting 173/2 in 15 overs in the curtiled quarter-final. But Malaysia's innings lasted only a couple of deliveries. In the semis, India mauled Bangladesh. They first dismissed Bangladesh for 51 all out, then chased the target down in 8.2 overs for an eight-wicket win. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, beat Thailand by eight wickets then got the better of two-time defending champions Pakistan by six wickets to make the final.