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Indian women's cricket team stormed into the gold medal match of the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final on Sunday. Chasing a target of 196, Bangladesh were bowled out for 81 runs in 15.4 overs as India's bowlers delivered a dominant performance.
Chasing, Bangladesh got off to a poor start as opener Juairiya Ferdous was dismissed for a golden duck on the first ball of the second over by Indian pacer Nandini Sharma. The wickets continued to tumble as fast bowler Kranti Gaud removed Sobhana Mostary for 4 runs on the third ball of the third over, leaving Bangladesh struggling at 9/2. After five overs, Bangladesh reached 34/2 before leg-spinner Shree Charani provided India with another breakthrough, dismissing Nigar Sultana for 9 runs on the third ball of the sixth over. In the following over, spinner Shreyanka Patil removed Shorna Akter for 5, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 43/4 at the end of the seventh over. Off-spinner Deepti Sharma struck on the second ball of the 10th over, dismissing Dilara Akter for 27 as Bangladesh managed to reach 53/5 at the end of 10th over. During the 11th over, Nandini Sharma struck twice to further dent Bangladesh's chase, dismissing Nahida Akter for 4 and Rabeya Khan for a golden duck. The double blow left Bangladesh reeling at 56/7 and broke the backbone of their batting. Shree Charani then dismissed Sharmin Akhter for 10 runs in the 14th over, before Deepti Sharma picked up the final two wickets of Marufa Akter (5) and Shanjida Akter Meghla (0) in the 16th over. Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 81 runs in 15.4 overs. Deepti Sharma (3/7) and Nandini Sharma (3/25) were the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets each to dismantle Bangladesh's batting lineup. With the massive 114-run victory, Harmanpreet Kaur-led India sealed their place in the women's cricket final, where they will face Sri Lanka for the gold medal. India had won the gold medal in the previous edition of the Asian Games. Earlier, India posted a massive 195 against Bangladesh in the second semifinal of the womens cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, riding on a maiden T20I century from opener Shafali Verma. Verma was the standout batter for India, producing a commanding hundred as the Indian top order capitalised on the favourable batting conditions and short boundaries at the venue. Verma smashed her maiden century in white-ball internationals. Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (40) also made valuable contributions, helping India build a strong total after opting to bat first. Mandhana made a fluent 37 off 19 balls, striking five fours and two sixes, before being dismissed by Nahida Akter. Gunalan Kamalini contributed three off 10 balls before falling to Shanjida Akter Meghla. Kaur slammed 40 off 33 balls and her innings included six fours. The Indian batters made effective use of the short boundaries on either side of the square, maintaining the pressure on the Bangladesh bowling attack and keeping the scoreboard moving throughout the innings. Bangladesh's bowlers showed discipline and held on to most of their opportunities in the field, but Indias aggressive batting ensured they finished with 195 on the board for loss of four wickets. (ANI)
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