Asian Games 2026, Women’s Cricket: India, Sri Lanka Renew Rivalry for Gold; Bangladesh, Pakistan Fight for Bronze
India and Sri Lanka have secured themselves a medal in the Women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games and will now face each other in the final, scheduled for September 22. Before that, Bangladesh and Pakistan will lock horns in Nisshin in the Bronze medal match.
India vs Sri Lanka – Final
Which colour of medal India or Sri Lanka eventually win will be decided at Korogi Sports Park. It is a repeat of the recent Women’s Asia Cup final and also the 2022 Asian Games Women’s cricket final. On both occasions, the Women in Blue registered convincing wins.
So, once again, it will be a challenging test for Chamari Athapaththu and Co. Looking at their respective semi-final performances, India thrashed Bangladesh by 114 runs, with Shafali Verma making the headlines with a record-breaking century to become the first-ever women’s cricketer to score a hundred at the Asian Games.
With the ball, India’s spinners have been a few steps ahead of the rest in terms of skill. On a pitch where the bowlers have found minimal assistance, N Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma have managed to turn the ball considerably more than their counterparts. As a result, they occupy the top two positions on the wicket-taking chart so far, with Charani leading with six wickets and Deepti second with four.
For Sri Lanka’s batters, India’s in-form spin attack will be the sternest test. To negotiate it, their best option could be veteran opener and captain Chamari Athapaththu, the tournament’s leading run-scorer so far with 146 runs in two innings at an average of 146 and a strike rate of 167.81, including two fifties.
Their middle-order batters, especially Harshita Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari, have also been consistent and impressive since the recent Asia Cup. However, one battle to watch out for will be Athapaththu against India’s off-spinners, Deepti or Shreyanka Patil, during the powerplay.
In their semi-final win over Pakistan, it was Sri Lanka’s batting that made the difference as they chased down a target of 178 with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan – 3rd Place Play-off, Bronze Medal Match
This could be Nigar Sultana Joty’s last game as Bangladesh Women’s T20I captain. According to recent reports, she has already informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of her decision to step down from the T20I captaincy after the Asian Games.
Hence, what better way could there be for her to end her tenure than by winning a Bronze medal for Bangladesh at the Asian Games? However, to do so, they will have to get past an unpredictable Pakistan side.
The Women in Green struggled despite beating Thailand while chasing 92 in 11 overs in the quarter-final. But in the semi-final, their batting stepped up, courtesy of Shawaal Zulfiqar’s fifty and Ayesha Zafar’s 71 off 40 balls, followed by a finishing flourish from skipper Fatima Sana, who remained unbeaten on 20 off 12.
However, their bowling, especially the spin-bowling unit, could be a concern. They have not found their best rhythm and failed to make a significant impact in the last game. Five spinners bowled 14.5 overs, conceded 152 runs and took just one wicket.
Be it with the ball or bat, this Pakistan team has often been dependent on Fatima to make an impact, and that is something they will need to address if they are to defeat Bangladesh and claim their third Asian Games medal in Women’s cricket, having won Gold in both the 2010 and 2014 editions.
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