Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69, just 10 runs fewer than Mandhana’s match-winning 79, as India retained the women’s Asian Games cricket title.
Smriti Mandhana’s explosive 79 led India to a crushing 147-run victory over Sri Lanka and a second successive women’s cricket gold at the Asian Games.
India amassed 216-3 from their 20 overs, setting a record women’s score at the Asian Games. The innings included 18 fours and 13 sixes in Tuesday’s final.
Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali scored 25 in the final over off Mithali Ayodhya, who also conceded eight wides.
Sri Lanka were never a serious threat, with captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scoring for the visitors with 29. They were all out for 69 in 15.4 overs and claimed silver.
Opening batter Mandhana struck seven sixes and five fours from 45 balls, sending the ball across all parts of Korogi Athletic Park in Nagoya.
After Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat, Mandhana and Shafali Verma—who had scored an unbeaten century in the semifinal—opened with a fierce partnership.
Verma was dismissed when the pair reached 99 in the 10th over after playing an unnecessary reverse sweep, top-edging to Kawya Kavindi at point. She finished on 48 from 29 balls.
Mandhana, women’s T20 cricket’s leading run-scorer, had reached her fifty earlier in the over and continued to punish loose deliveries, sending them to the boundary.
Harmanpreet Kaur joined her, taking India to 141 before the captain was caught at long-off for 19.
Mandhana attempted to accelerate in the closing phase but skyed a sweeping six and was dismissed in the 17th over with India on 163.
Ghosh accelerated further, scoring 49 from 22 balls with three sixes and six fours to take India past 200 in the final over.
Earlier, late-order hitting from Pakistan captain Fatima Sana helped her side beat Bangladesh by 31 runs in the bronze medal match.
Sana joined Pakistan at 67-5 in the 12th over and hit 45 from 30 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Her innings carried the team to 145-8, and she was dismissed from the final ball of the innings.
A 67-run sixth-wicket partnership with Aliya Riaz, who scored 25, proved decisive as Bangladesh managed 114-7 in reply.
