The Indian women’s cricket team achieved a historic milestone during the 2023 Asian Games, securing their maiden gold medal by defeating Sri Lanka in the final. This remarkable feat marked a significant moment for Indian women’s cricket.
In a closely contested match, India successfully defended a total of 116 runs against Sri Lanka, ultimately winning by a margin of 19 runs. The key contributors for India were Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 46, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who added 42 runs to the total. On the other hand, Sri Lanka managed to score 97 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, with Hasini Perera contributing 25 runs and Titas Sadhu playing a crucial role with her bowling, taking 3 wickets for just 6 runs.
The victory in the final can be largely attributed to the outstanding performance of Titas Sadhu, a young pacer who played a pivotal role in securing the gold medal for the Indian women’s cricket team. Her impressive figures of 4-1-6-3 created significant challenges for the Sri Lankan team. She received support from leg-spinner Devika Vaidya, who bowled tightly, and other bowlers like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma, who found their rhythm later in the game.
Despite the victory, it was acknowledged that the standard of cricket in the tournament was not exceptionally high, partly due to the challenging nature of the pitch. Notably, India is in search of a genuine fast bowler since the retirement of Jhulan Goswami, and Titas Sadhu emerged as a promising candidate.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wisely chose to bat first on a pitch that favored slow bowlers. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues built a crucial partnership of 73 runs for the second wicket, utilizing the sweep shot effectively. However, Mandhana’s injury and subsequent loss of form affected India’s batting performance. Despite some struggles, the total of 116 proved sufficient to secure India’s second gold medal at the Games.
In summary, the Indian women’s cricket team made history by clinching their first gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games, with Titas Sadhu’s exceptional bowling performance playing a decisive role in this significant achievement.
