Star India player Smriti Mandhana on Monday expressed ecstatic joy at winning a gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou and said she had tears in her eyes as the national anthem was played. Mandhana said it was a very special moment for her and she was keen to contribute to India’s medal tally at the multi-sport event. “This is very special. We saw this on TV. When Neeraj Chopra won gold, I had a match… the way the national anthem was played and the national flag of India was hoisted, I think it was quite special and I had tears in my eyes…really happy that we could contribute to the medal tally of the Indian contingent…gold is gold…really happy that we gave our best today,” Mandhana told ANI.
(Asian Games Medals Tally | Full schedule – September 25)
A superb spell from Titas Sandhu and magnificent spin bowling from Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya helped India defend a respectable total of 117 runs and clinch the gold medal in the women’s cricket tournament at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games, with Sri Lanka in the final with 19 was defeated. runs Monday in Hangzhou.
Following this, the Indian women’s team captured a cricket gold medal in their maiden appearance at the Asian Games.
The Indian women’s team opted to bat first and set a target of 117/7 after Smriti Mandhana played a stunning knock of 46 runs. Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues had a 42-run inning.
For Sri Lanka, Udeshika Prabodhani took 2/16, Inoka Ranaweera took two wickets for 21 runs, while Sugandika Kumari also cleared two scalps for 30.
Chasing a low target, India restricted Sri Lanka to 97/8 to win their first ever gold.
Titas was the bowlers’ favorite, taking three scalps for just six runs. Rajeshwari Gayakwad took two wickets while Devika Vaidya took one wicket.
With this gold, India now has eleven medals at the Asian Games, including two gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated the Indian women’s team for their superlative performance at the Asian Games.
“Indian women’s cricket team wins gold at the #AsianGames with a dominant win over Sri Lanka, led by 18-year-old sensation #TitasSadhu’s bowling brilliance (3 for 6). Congratulations to the team and support staff for this historic achievement! ” Jay Shah said in a post on X.
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