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Shafali Verma Stars as India Women Set Asian Games Defense

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 6:33 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

India Defends Gold

India’s women’s cricket team will defend its Asian Games gold against Sri Lanka on 22 September 2026 in Japan.
Shafali Verma scored an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, the first Asian Games T20I century.
Smriti Mandhana became women’s T20I all-time leading run-scorer with 4,788 runs, overtaking Suzie Bates.
Sri Lanka chased 178, winning by eight wickets with captain Chamari Athapaththu unbeaten on 83.

Summary

TBS Broadcasts Final

TBS will televise the women's cricket final in Japan while SonyLIV streams it in India.
Astro carries matches for Malaysia, AIS Play for Thailand, TVRI for Indonesia.
Athletes stay in hotels, converted containers, and the Costa Serena cruise ship.
Chinese, Indian and South Korean delegations faced immigration queues and transport shortages at Nagoya airport.
Jemimah Rodrigues missed the Games with a high-grade hamstring tear, prompting Pratika Rawal to replace her.

History

Historical Context

Cricket returned to a major multi-sport event at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, the first such appearance since the 1998 Commonwealth Games. The women's tournament featured eight teams, with Pakistan winning gold without losing a match. That debut established cricket as a regular Asian Games sport, leading to its return in the 2026 Nagoya Games where Shafali Verma’s century draws on the 2010 breakthrough.

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India Defends Gold

India’s women’s cricket team will defend its Asian Games gold against Sri Lanka on 22 September 2026 in Japan.
Shafali Verma scored an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, the first Asian Games T20I century.
Smriti Mandhana became women’s T20I all-time leading run-scorer with 4,788 runs, overtaking Suzie Bates.
Sri Lanka chased 178, winning by eight wickets with captain Chamari Athapaththu unbeaten on 83.

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