The Indian women cricket team won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games 2023 in China on Monday by defeating the Sri Lanka women team in the final by 19 runs.
The side was showered with praises and wishes from fans, celebrities, and dignitaries in the country.
They got a massive praise from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this historic and “incredible achievement”.
The BCCI had sent an Indian team for the first time in the Asian Games – they didn’t participate in the two Asian Games, in 2010 and 2014, when cricket was played.
Daughters are keeping tricolour flying high: PM Modi congratulates Indian women team
PM Modi congratulated the Indian women’s team as well as 10m air rifle men’s team both for winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2023.
“What a grand show by our cricket team as they clinch Women Cricket gold at Asian Games. The country rejoices in their incredible achievement,” he said. “Our daughters are keeping tricolour flying high in the sporting arena too with their talent, grit, skill and teamwork. Congratulations for your great victory,” PM Modi said in a statement..
For the gold-winning air rifle team, he added, “Our fantastic shooters from the 10m Air Rifle Men’s Team, Rudrankksh Patil, Divyansh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Tomar have won the gold in truly awe inspiring manner as they did so while shattering the world record.”
India scored 116/7 in 20 overs, and in reply to this, Sri Lanka scored 97/8 in 20 overs. India won by a small margin of 19 runs. On a really tough pitch for the batters in the final at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou, Smriti Mandhana carried India’s innings by scoring 46 runs in 45 balls along with youngster Jemimah Rodrigues who scored 42 runs in 40 balls. No other Indian batter got into double figures.
With the ball for India, the 18-year-old pacer Titas Sadhu took three wickets early on, including the dismissal of Chamari Athapaththu, which all but sealed the gold medal for India. Rajeshwari Gayakwad took two wickets.