Indian team aims for Asian Games gold against Sri Lanka

The Indian women's team demonstrated outstanding results at the Asian Games, bringing honor to the country. The start of this major sporting event was exceptionally successful for Indian female athletes.

In particular, the Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, achieved a convincing victory over Bangladesh by a margin of 114 runs, thereby securing their place in the final. Now the Indian team will face Sri Lanka for the gold medal on September 22.

The Indian women's cricket team maintained its dominant status by winning its eighth Asian Championship title at the Asia Cup. However, despite this victory, the team under Harmanpreet Kaur did not attend the awards ceremony and celebrated the triumph without the trophy.

Consequently, a new question arose among fans regarding Mohsin Naqvi, President of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC): if the Indian cricket team wins a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, will Naqvi be present on stage to present the medal?

The Indian women's team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, defeated Sri Lanka in the 2026 Asia Cup. More attention from the public was drawn not to the sporting contest itself, but to the trophy presentation ceremony. Fans actively discussed this topic on social media.

After the victory, the Indian team directly refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, returning without it. The team's head coach, Amol Majumdar, supported this decision, stating that the team's main focus is now on the Asian Games.

If India wins a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, the probability of Mohsin Naqvi presenting the medals is extremely low. The reason lies in the regulations of the Asian Games. These competitions are held in accordance with the rules of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The right to present medals belongs exclusively to designated officials of the OCA and representatives of the local organizing committee. Unlike cricket tournaments, one council head does not have the authority to distribute medals independently here.

Previously, at the 2022/2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, both the men's and women's Indian cricket teams won gold medals. At that time, the medals were also presented according to official protocol.

Now, India is preparing to contend for gold again at the upcoming games, which will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The match for the Indian women's cricket team for the gold medal is scheduled for September 22nd at 10:30 AM, and the men's team will begin its campaign on September 28th.

In the thrilling final of the Women's Asian Cup 2026, the Indian squad achieved a convincing victory over Sri Lanka by a margin of 72 runs, thereby adding a brilliant trophy to its arsenal. Throughout the entire match, the dominance of the Indian athletes was evident.

The players who batted first on the field created a real storm, and subsequently, the bowlers forced the Sri Lankan batsmen to concede. Thus, India once again confirmed its status as a dominant force.

Choosing the toss, the Indian team started the game with batting. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided an explosive start, setting a record partnership of 129 runs in the first innings. Shafali scored 68 runs, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes off 39 balls. Smriti Mandhana also played a powerful innings, scoring 59 runs with 5 fours and 3 sixes off the same 39 balls.

However, after Shafali lost her wicket at a score of 129, the Indian momentum slightly faltered. The score, which could have exceeded 200 at that moment, stopped at 183 because the middle-order players could not handle the pressure. Ultimately, thanks to small contributions from Richa Ghosh (17 runs) and J. Kamalini (15* runs), India posted a substantial total of 183 runs in 20 overs, losing 5 batsmen.

The Sri Lankan team, which needed to chase a large target of 184 runs, faced a very poor start. Kranti Gaude put pressure on Sri Lanka, delivering early blows and forcing the team into a defensive posture. Nevertheless, captain Chamari Attapattu and Wismi Gunaratne tried to restore hope to the team by forming a partnership of over fifty runs, but Dipti Sharma ended these remaining hopes by dismissing both batsmen in one spell.

After this, Sri Charani broke the back of Sri Lanka by unleashing her spin magic, sending Harshita Samarwickrama and Kavisha Dilhari to the pavilion. The Sri Lankan team managed to score only 111 runs, and India won the Asian Cup final by 72 runs, hoisting the trophy high.