Nisshin, Sep 21 (IANS) Defending champions India will face Sri Lanka in the women’s cricket final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, setting up a repeat of the gold-medal clash from Hangzhou 2023.
The final will be played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, with the match scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM IST. India will look to retain the title after a dominant run through the knockout stages, while Sri Lanka will attempt to avenge their defeat in the previous Asian Games final.
India reached the summit clash after brushing aside hosts Japan by eight wickets in the quarter-finals, then produced another emphatic performance against Bangladesh in the last four, winning by 114 runs.
Sri Lanka have followed a similarly convincing route to the final. They defeated Malaysia by 86 runs in the quarter-finals before overcoming Pakistan by eight wickets in the semi-finals.
The result has set up rematch of women’s cricket medal fixtures to those at Hangzhou, with India and Sri Lanka contesting the gold medal and Pakistan and Bangladesh meeting in the bronze-medal match.
Tuesday’s final will also mark another meeting between the two sides in a major continental final within 10 days. India defeated Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in Dubai earlier this month, winning by 72 runs after half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma.
Shafali has carried that form into the Asian Games. After scoring fifties in the Asia Cup semi-final and final, the Indian opener remained unbeaten on 40 against Japan before producing an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the semi-final.
India will also look towards their bowling attack, with Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma among the wickets during the tournament.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will rely heavily on captain Chamari Athapaththu. The experienced all-rounder is the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 146 runs from two matches and has also contributed three wickets, making her a key threat with both bat and ball.
India’s recent record against Sri Lanka gives them an additional statistical advantage. The defending champions have won 25 of the 31 T20Is between the sides, while Sri Lanka have five victories and one match has ended without a result.
India have also won the last seven meetings between the two teams, with Sri Lanka’s most recent victory coming in 2024.
With another continental title at stake, India will seek to extend their dominance over Sri Lanka and successfully defend the Asian Games crown, while Sri Lanka will aim to overturn the recent head-to-head record and claim gold in the rematch of the Hangzhou final.
When: Tuesday, September 22, 10:30 AM IST
Where: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin
Where to watch: The India vs Sri Lanka women’s cricket Asian Games final will be streamed live on Sony LIV. The gold medal match between IND-W and SL-W will be broadcast live on Sony Sports 1 in India. Additionally, it will be available in regional languages on Sony Sports 3 and Sony Sports 3 HD (Hindi), as well as Sony Sports 4 (Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada).
Squads
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav
Sri Lanka: Imesha Dulani, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wk), Mithali Ayodhya, Kawya Kavindi, Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmika Sewwandi, Nimasha Meepage, Sanjana Kavindi, Anushka Sanjeewani
–IANS
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