The Indian women’s cricket team on the podium after winning gold in Hangzhou yesterday. Pic/AFP

India’s batting effort was truly special on a track that offered loads of turn to the Lankan tweakers early on. Mandhana and Rodrigues in particular used their feet beautifully to get to the pitch of the ball before driving successfully both, along the ground and in the air. India coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar was all praise for Rodrigues. “This was an ultimate performance by Jemi. There was not too much of big hitting, but she used her brain well and that was important. It was a very mature knock,” the former India all-rounder told mid-day. 

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Rodrigues too admitted batting was tough on the slow strip. “The Sri Lanka spinners were spot-on. We had to really apply ourselves and earn every run. Our plan was to stay at the crease and build partnerships. Overall, this [Asiad] has been a wonderful experience. We are part of history as India’s first Asian Games gold medal-winning cricket team,” she said.

‘Felt like a World Cup’

Mandhana went a step further and drew a comparison with the World Cup. “This experience felt like a World Cup. We generally lift trophies, but to win a medal is a unique and special experience. For me, this is big, just like a Commonwealth Games or a World Cup or an Olympics,” she said. The ICC have made no secret of the fact that they would like to see cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and this gold medal by India’s women could be the stepping stone to success that culminates in a double gold medal achievement (by the Indian men’s and women’s teams) in America five years hence.

Brief scores
India 116-7 (S Mandhana 46, J Rodrigues 42; U Prabodhani 2-16, I Ranaweera 2-21, S Kumari 2-30) beat SL 97-8 (H Perera 25; T Sadhu 3-6, R Gayakwad 2-20) by 19 runs.