Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 22 : India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur hailed the team’s gold medal triumph at the Asian Games 2026, describing it as a “fantastic feeling” and praising the players for maintaining high standards, delivering consistently and staying unbeaten throughout the tournament.
The Indian women's team continued their sensational run at the continental level, winning their second successive Asian Games gold medal after fireworks from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, as the spinners bowled Women in Blue to a massive 147-run win in the title clash against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. 
In reply to India's massive 216/3, Sri Lanka folded for 69 in 15.4 overs.
With this win, India secured their first Asian Games gold of this edition, having already secured four silvers and two bronze medals. This is India's seventh medal at the ongoing Asian Games.
After the win, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she was delighted with India’s unbeaten gold medal-winning campaign, praising the team for maintaining high standards, a positive mindset and consistently strong performances throughout the tournament.
Notably, India reached the finals after defeating Japan by 8 wickets and Bangladesh by 114 runs. Before their Asian Games rr, the Women in Blue had a sensational run in the Asia Cup, where they stayed unbeaten and defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs to clinch the title.
“(On remaining unbeaten and maintaining team standards) It’s a fantastic feeling. Before the tournament, we talked a lot about staying unbeaten, but more importantly, about playing to the high standards we set for ourselves. It’s so satisfying to see everyone approach every game with such a positive mindset. Every single player who got an opportunity stepped up and delivered solid performances. As a captain and as a collective, that's exactly what we were looking for, maintaining an unbeaten run while consistently putting in this quality of performance is what we expected of ourselves, and it’s great to see everyone execute that vision with confidence,” Harmanpreet Kaur said after their Asian Games gold medal win.
Harmanpreet credited India’s bowling unit for its strong performance, praising young bowlers Kranti Gaud and Nandini Kashyap for handling responsibility well, while highlighting the consistency of experienced spinners Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma. She said the blend of youth and experience was well balanced and the team delivered when it mattered.
Notably, after India scored 216/3, their bowlers dismantled the Sri Lankan batting line-up, dismissing them for 69 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma led the attack with figures of 3/6, while Shafali Verma and Shreyanka Patil claimed two wickets each. Shree Charani also picked up two wickets.
(On the blend of youth and experience in the squad) Our bowling unit deserves special credit because we put a tremendous amount of work into it. Young bowlers like Kranti (Gaud) and Nandini (Kashyap) took on massive responsibilities, and the way they responded, especially with their spell in the power-play was outstanding. That was something our bowling coach and the staff had been working very closely with them on. Beyond the youngsters, our spin attack remains our core strength, bowlers like Shreyanka (Patil) and Deepti (Sharma) are consistent match-winners and always among the leading wicket-takers. Overall, the balance between experience and fresh talent was spot on, and everyone delivered when it mattered,” she said.
Before bowling Sri Lanka out for 69, India posted a formidable 216/3 after being asked to bat. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma made a brisk 48 off 29 deliveries. Richa Ghosh provided the late impetus with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls. Mandhana's innings included five fours and seven sixes, while her half-century was her 37th in T20 internationals. She also became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 runs in international cricket.
The 147-run victory secured India's second consecutive Asian Games gold in women's cricket, following their title at Hangzhou in 2023.
After the win, India women’s cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar described the team’s Asian Games gold medal triumph as a “surreal feeling”, saying the victory could set the ball rolling for India at the continental event.
Speaking to ANI, Amol Muzumdar described the Asian Games gold medal win as a “surreal feeling”, praising the team’s high skill level and saying that playing to their potential could make such success the norm.
“Surreal feeling. It's a very good feeling to win the gold here at the Asian Games and set the ball rolling for India. Nothing better than that. I think it is terrific to be on the winning side. The skill level of this team is very high. So, I think if we put our best foot forward and play to our potential, this is going to be the norm,” he said.
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh also expressed her happiness after India won the gold medal. She said the team entered the tournament with the clear objective of winning gold and was delighted to see that goal achieved. Ghosh also praised the team’s collective effort and said she personally felt very happy with the result.
“I am feeling very happy because everyone has been playing with the goal of winning the gold medal. When we started the tournament, our only aim was to win gold. So, I think we are all very happy with the result, and personally, I am feeling really good," Ghosh told ANI after the match.
Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who claimed three wickets in the match, said the team was delighted to win the gold medal and retain their Asian Games title. She added that securing India’s first gold medal of the 2026 Games made the achievement even more special.
“We are very happy, and winning the gold medal has brought double the joy because we have always been playing for trophies, and last time too we won the gold medal in the Asian Games, and this year as well. The biggest thing is that this is the first gold medal of 2026, so what could be a greater joy than this? So we are enjoying this,” she told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the Indian women’s cricket team, describing their triumph as a “splendid” achievement for Indian cricket.
"A splendid triumph for Indian cricket! Heartiest congratulations to our Women’s Cricket Team on winning the Gold medal at the Asian Games. It was a commanding performance at the Games, marked by confidence, skill and wonderful teamwork. This victory also brings India its first Gold of this edition of the Games. The team has made the nation proud and will inspire countless young cricketers across the country. Best wishes to the entire squad: PM @narendramodi" the official X handle of PMO India, wrote on X.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha also expressed happiness over the women's cricket team's gold medal triumph.
Usha said she had been confident about the Indian women's team's prospects and recalled her role in getting cricket included in the Asian Games programme.
"We have just started. For the last two days, our shooters did good, though we could have won the gold one, but little bit disappointment, but I am having a lot of confidence on shooters. They will bring a gold medal, no doubt. But I'm happy that our cricketers won the gold medal. I was on the Coordination Committee of Japan organising this meet. So I only requested them to add cricket here, men and women. So I just want to see their winning gold medal. I'm so happy to see a gold medal," Usha told ANI.
Meanwhile, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar highlighted the contributions of different players in India’s comprehensive victory and praised the team’s all-round effort.
"That’s the beauty of a team game. Different players, different moments, one big result. Shafali and Smriti’s 99-run partnership at the top gave India the platform, Richa Ghosh’s late blitz took the total to a massive 216, and then Shafali, Deepti, Shreyanka and Shree Charani kept finding the wickets. A terrific effort from the Indian women’s team. Congratulations on the Gold!" Tendulkar wrote on X.