Rohtak (Haryana) [India], September 22 (ANI): India girls’s cricket workforce clinched a gold medal on the Asian Games 2026 in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday, and the Indian cricketer Shafali Verma’s father, Sanjeev Verma, described the feat as a ‘matter of immense pleasure’.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in Tuesday’s remaining to assert their second successive Asian Games gold medal, following their triumph at Hangzhou in 2023. The victory additionally gave India its first gold of the continuing version, taking its medal tally to seven.
Speaking to ANI in Rohtak, Verma stated, ‘It is a matter of immense pleasure. A gold medal has come to our nation, and that too by way of girls’s cricket. There is an environment of nice happiness. Congratulations to the whole nation; our daughters have introduced glory to the nation. Shafali performed very nicely. Back when the workforce travelled to Dubai for the Asia Cup, she had labored laborious on her abilities, and the scores mirrored that effort there in addition to right here on the Asian Games.’
‘It feels great when Team India wins, and it’s really nice that she contributed with an excellent rating. May she proceed to progress and hold profitable matches for Team India. We spoke yesterday earlier than the match. I instructed her to offer her greatest, whether or not it was bowling or batting,’ he added.
Shafali contributed with 48 off 29 balls within the remaining, sharing a gap stand with Smriti Mandhana, who top-scored with 79 off 45 deliveries. Richa Ghosh offered the late impetus with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls as India posted 216/3.
India’s bowlers then restricted Sri Lanka to 69 in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma returned figures of three/6, whereas Shafali, Shreyanka Patil and N Shree Charani picked up two wickets every.
Shafali’s current performances have additionally lifted her two locations to fourth within the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings, with 756 score factors. She moved previous teammate Mandhana and West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, whereas Australia’s Beth Mooney, Georgia Voll and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt retained the highest three positions.
The 22-year-old carried her kind from the Women’s T20 Asia Cup into the Asian Games, scoring 64 and 68 within the continental event’s semifinal and remaining, respectively. At the Games, she hit an unbeaten 40 in opposition to Japan within the quarterfinal and an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls in opposition to Bangladesh within the semifinal. The century was her maiden white-ball hundred in worldwide cricket and made her the primary lady to attain a century on the Asian Games.
Meanwhile, India’s Deepti and Shree Charani continued to occupy the highest two spots within the T20I bowling rankings, with each recording career-best score factors. Charani climbed 15 locations, and Deepti rose 22. India’s Kranti Gaud and Nandani Sharma additionally made features, reaching 57th and 72nd, respectively.
Mandhana additionally achieved a milestone within the Asian Games remaining, turning into the primary lady cricketer to succeed in 11,000 worldwide runs.
India’s gold-medal victory marked their second consecutive title in girls’s cricket on the Asian Games. (ANI)