The jury was already out even before the tournament began. India were by far, the favourites to win gold. Still, nerves play the key in a final. But the defending champions made no fuss and steamrolled their way to glory.
Choosing to bat first, the defending champions just went berserk. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma hammered 67 runs in the Powerplay – featuring 6 sixes and 5 fours, with only one boundaryless over – literally crushing the Lankan hopes there itself. The duo batted till the 10th over, with a 99-run stand – India’s highest this tournament and the pair’s third consecutive 50-plus partnership.
The stage was set for a big total, but skipper Harmanpreet Kaur missed out, as the Lankans tried to stage a comeback after Shafali’s dismissal (48). But in walked Richa Ghosh and her explosive unbeaten 49 (22) just crushed any minute hopes. India hammered 74 runs in the last 5 overs, amassing 216/3 – the highest ever in a Women’s Asian games match and India’s third best in a WT20I.
The reliable and consistent Mandhana batted till the 17th over, making a fine 79 (45), ensuring that there was never a collapse. Additionally, the defending champions clobbered 13 sixes, the best ever in a Women’s T20I innings, bettering their own previous record of 12, in the semifinal against Bangladesh.
The Lankans knew that to keep India quiet, they had to grab early wickets. But they just weren’t allowed to, as Shafali and Mandhana dictated terms from the opening over itself. And when the 5th over, bowled by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, went for 19 runs, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Only Kavisha Dilhari and Chamudi Praboda could muster decent bowling figures.
Needing to scale a mountain of 217, the Lankans needed an Athapaththu masterclass. She tried her best but it was too much for her to do alone. Imesha Dulani, her opening partner, did receive a reprieve in the opening over – dropped by Shreyanka Patil – but that did not help much. And Athapaththu’s dismissal in Deepti Sharma’s opening over, in the 7th, just affirmed all thoughts of an Indian win.
Indian spinners claimed 9 out of the 10 wickets, with Deepti Sharma’s outstanding bowling figures of 4-1-6-3 standing tall. Sri Lanka were bowled out for a paltry 69 – which just featured a solitary six and 7 fours.
This was the fourth straight occasion of India bowling their opponents out in a WT20I, with Sri Lanka featuring twice in 10 days, and also marked their 8th successive win in this format, bettering their previous streak of 7 achieved in 2018. The Eves suffered the agony of a forgetful 2026 T20 World Cup, but looking ahead – strong, powerful batting combined with variation and excellence in bowling – a golden era might just have begun for India.
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