India and Sri Lanka are both vying for their first-ever cricket gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
India is all set to face Sri Lanka in the gold medal match of the 2023 Asian Games women's cricket tournament on September 25. Notably, this tournament marks India's debut appearance in the women's cricket event at the Asian Games.
Women's cricket was part of the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014 but was absent from Jakarta in 2018. Pakistan clinched the gold medal in both 2010 and 2014, defeating Bangladesh in the finals.
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India's journey in this tournament began with a direct entry into the quarter-finals, thanks to their T20 world ranking. Unfortunately, their quarter-final clash against Malaysia was rained out, but India advanced due to their higher seeding. In the semi-finals, under Smriti Mandhana's leadership, India defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets, largely thanks to a remarkable spell by pacer Pooja Vastrakar (4/17) that restricted Bangladesh to just 51 runs.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who served a two-match suspension imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), is set to become available for selection and is likely to assume captaincy responsibilities from Mandhana.
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On the other hand, Sri Lanka participated in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games and secured a bronze medal. In Hangzhou, Sri Lanka aims to upgrade their medal as they defeated Thailand by eight wickets in the quarter-finals and Pakistan by six wickets in the semi-finals.
Udeshika Prabodhani's three-wicket haul in the semi-finals limited Pakistan to 75/9 in 20 overs. Despite a flurry of wickets from Pakistan, Sri Lanka managed to secure their spot in the gold medal match.
Asian Games 2023 women’s cricket final schedule and match times (All time in IST):
September 25, Monday:
Bronze medal match: Bangladesh vs Pakistan - 6:30 AM
Gold medal match: India vs Sri Lanka - 11:30 AM
Where to watch the India vs Sri Lanka Asian Games 2023 women's cricket final live:
Live streaming of the India vs Sri Lanka Asian Games 2023 women's cricket final will be on Sony Liv.
The gold medal match will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi) and Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu) TV channels in India.
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