Nisshin: India women opted to bat first against Sri Lanka in the gold medal clash at the Korogi Sports Park here on Tuesday.
India, the defending gold medallists, have made no change to the playing XI that won the semifinal against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are also going unchanged for the title clash as they look to avenge their recent losses against India.
The India-Sri Lanka clash is the rematch of the 2023 Asiad and also the rematch of the Women’s Asia Cup earlier this month, both of where the Women in Blue defeated the Sri Lankan side.
India, the defending gold medallists, came into the final after beating Japan and Bangladesh in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka got the better of Malaysia and Pakistan in their previous two matches to make their way into the gold medal game.
Sri Lanka are two-time medallists at the Asiad but are hunting for their maiden gold medal after winning bronze in 2014 and settling for silver in 2022. Meanwhile, India participated only once before in the cricket event at the continental showpiece before and won the gold in 2023.
For India, Shafali Verma has been in stellar form, having scored her first white-ball century in the semifinal against Bangladesh. That made her the first player to hit a hundred in the Women’s Asian Games. The bowlers are also in impressive form, with the likes of Sree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Nandini Sharma doing the work.
For Sri Lanka, captain Chamari Athapaththu is the major lynchpin. She found form and scored a stellar unbeaten 83 from 50 balls in the semifinal against Pakistan. Her knock helped Sri Lanka chase down a strong total of 178, with Hasini Perera also making 42.
Playing XIs:
Sri Lanka Women Playing XI: Imesha Dulani, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Mithali Ayodhya, Kawya Kavindi, Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari
India Women Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud
(IANS)
