Asian Games: India Bags Second Gold As Women's Cricket Team Defeats Sri Lanka In Final

India bagged second gold for the day on Monday in the Asian Games 2023 as the women's cricket team defeated Sri Lanka in the final.

After winning the toss, the Women in Blue decided to bat first and put 116 runs on the spinner-friendly track. However, Sri Lanka could only score 97.

The Indian side won the match by 19 runs.

Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues led the scoring for India, notching up 46 and 42 runs, respectively. Titas Sadhu shined in the bowling department, securing an impressive 3 wickets for just 6 runs in her four overs, effectively containing the Sri Lankan batting lineup.

Titas Sadhu dismissed key players Chamari Athapaththu, Anushka Sanjeewani, and Vishmi Gunaratne which helped India secure an easy win. Her exceptional performance left Sri Lanka struggling at 14 for 3 in just 4.2 overs.

India further elevated their performance with remarkable bowling by Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya. In the batting department, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues displayed their prowess, orchestrating a crucial 73-run partnership that significantly contributed to India's triumph.

Earlier in the day, India won its first gold medal in the ongoing Asian Games 2023 gold medal in Hangzhou as the men's 10m air rifle team, comprising Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar emerged victorious.

In the individual qualification round, the trio achieved a cumulative score of 1893.7 points, surpassing the prior world record set by China in the Baku World Championship last month by 0.4 points.

In the men's four-rowing final, the Indian team secured a bronze medal, clocking a time of 6 minutes, 10.81 seconds. However, Balraj Panwar narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in the men's singles sculls final. Adding to India's medal tally, a bronze was bagged in the men's quadruple sculls final, trailing behind China and Uzbekistan. In swimming, Srihari Nataraj advanced to the men's 50m backstroke final, securing the sixth position in the heats.

Moving to tennis, there was an unexpected upset as Yuki Bhambri and Rohan Bopanna was defeated by Uzbekistan's Sergey Fomin and Khumoyun Sultanov in the men's doubles second round.

On a positive note, Ankita Raina emerged victorious in the women's singles second round against Uzbek opponent Sabrina Olimjonova. The 3x3 basketball event witnessed India's impressive performance, clinching a 20-16 victory against Japan and capturing attention on day 2 of the Asian Games 2023.