Indian star Smriti Mandhana hit the ball out of the park with a strong start for the Indian side in the women’s gold-medal game against Sri Lanka in the second edition of the Asian Games at Corpora Sports Park, Nisshin, Japan. India had fashioned a momentum after conceding 2 wickets and Mandhana was keen to take the effort of steering the team towards having a competitive start.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elect to bat first in the high-stakes final. India and Sri Lanka were determined to not alter their sides of any of the matches for the gold medal match, where everything came down.
Shafali Verma And Mandhana Create T20I Milestone
A combination of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a spirited start and they also touched another milestone in cricket during their partnership.
The partnership between pair of the first and common in women’s T20I cricket became the 4,000-run mark for the duo. Their duo once again was a reminder of how two of the Indian top order batter’s has been a success across the board.
The unlucky Shafali later came off the field, finding it difficult to bat with a fancy footwork after he made a rapid 48 from 29 deliveries. Her innings allowed India to put the pressure on the opposition before Sri Lanka could break their partnership.
Harmanpreet Kaur Falls As India Push For Gold
After Shafali’s departure, Harmanpreet Kaur came in to join Mandhana at the stumps. India responded to the Pakistan pace effort with some quick scoring before the India batsman was out for 19 in 17 deliveries to see the two wickets fall.
Meanwhile, Mandhana was continuing her run and India had a tough task to face other teams to reach an impressive target. Indonesia, on the other hand, had to face the loss of wickets at regular intervals to avoid India finishing the job.
The match at Korogi Sports Park has added importance as both the teams are fighting for the Asian Games women’s cricket gold. India reached the finals after beating each of their opponents in the tournament and Sri Lanka reached the final as well.
The other overs of India’s innings will play a pivotal role to decide the pressure Sri Lanka will put on them in the chase with the gold on the line.