Indian cricketer Shreyanka Patil expressed her happiness after returning to the national team following an injury setback and helping India win the women’s T20 cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Patil had suffered an ankle injury during the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and was ruled out of the tournament. She later returned to India’s squad for the Asian Games after being included subject to fitness.
Her comeback ended on a high note as India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the gold-medal match on September 22. India scored 216 for three in 20 overs before bowling Sri Lanka out for 69 in 15.4 overs. The victory gave India their second consecutive women’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games.
Smriti Mandhana led India’s batting effort with a superb 79 off 45 balls. Shafali Verma also made an important contribution, while Richa Ghosh finished strongly with 49 not out from just 22 balls. Her late hitting helped India cross the 200-run mark and finish with a total of 216.
India’s bowlers then produced an impressive performance to end Sri Lanka’s chase. Deepti Sharma was the leading wicket-taker with figures of 3/6. Shafali Verma, Sree Charani and Shreyanka Patil took two wickets each as India dismissed Sri Lanka inside 16 overs.
Patil’s return was particularly significant after her injury earlier in the year. She had been forced out of the T20 World Cup after hurting her ankle while fielding against the Netherlands. Her return to international cricket and contribution to the Asian Games title provided a positive end to her injury comeback.
The Indian team also highlighted the importance of its strong batting performance. Reaching more than 200 runs gave the bowlers a large total to defend, allowing the spinners to attack Sri Lanka and put pressure on their batters from the beginning of the chase.
Deepti Sharma played a major role with the ball, while Shafali Verma and Sree Charani also contributed with important wickets. Patil added to the bowling effort, helping India maintain control throughout Sri Lanka’s innings.
Sri Lanka finished with the silver medal after their defeat in the final. Pakistan won the bronze medal by beating Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place match.
For India, the gold medal continued the team’s successful record in women’s cricket at the Asian Games. India had won the women’s title at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and successfully defended it in 2026.
For Patil, the medal marked an important comeback after injury and added another memorable moment to India’s successful Asian Games campaign.