The India Women's team won the gold medal in this competition by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.
The India Women's team won the gold medal in this competition by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.
India scored 116 for 7 in their opening innings on a challenging batting surface before Sri Lanka was held to 97 for 8 in 20 overs by a bowling attack led by Titas Sadhu.
After the women's team made history in the Asian Games final, India's Jemimah Rodrigues urged the men's team to pursue the gold on Monday.
The men's team has been contacted. We've informed them we're coming the gold, so please bring it, too," a jubilant Rodrigues told the media present.
It feels wonderful. Being the first Indian cricket team to win the gold makes it even more special, and it will cause people to look back in history and realise that this was the squad that actually won the first-ever gold in cricket at the Asian Games. It's an incredible sensation," she continued.
To increase India's total number of medals at the Games, according to Rodrigues, made him feel proud.
Wearing this India shirt is a (matter of) different pride, and it is a completely different sensation. As a sporting nation, India may also get a medal, she added.
Rodrigues claimed that the gold medal competition on a difficult surface presented its own difficulties.
"Sri Lanka put up a terrific fight against us, so it wasn't easy. They had excellent bowlers, so we had to put in a lot of effort. The way we played today shows our character, and I'm really proud of the girls," she remarked.
"The Sri Lankan bowlers were at the top of their game, so Smriti (Mandhana) and I formed a crucial partnership.
Rodrigues (42), who combined 73 runs with Mandhana (46) for the second wicket in a low-scoring match, expressed her satisfaction with the manner she and Mandhana batted and developed their partnership.
For each game, according to Rodrigues, the team had to adjust to a different surface. When we arrived here, we really had no idea what to anticipate, she admitted.
"We knew that we had to be ready for any condition, and in all three matches, we had different kinds of wickets that we had to adapt to, which is the best part of our team's performance," Rodrigues continued.
In overall, the way everyone in China embraced us has been a wonderful experience. Since there has been a communication issue, things have not been simple. But they (the organisers) went above and above to ease our stay and make us feel at home, she continued.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the coach of India and a former international, expressed his joy at helping his nation increase its total.
"We give this gold the highest ranking because it raises the total number of gold medals won by the nation. Therefore, I believe it is crucial that we make a direct contribution to the nation, he stated.
Given the circumstances, Kanitkar described India's total as a "decent score."
The quality of the land and the surrounding circumstances are important. "We were aiming for 120, but reaching it a few overs early would have undoubtedly allowed us to go for 140. But in the end, we got a good grade," he remarked.
The girls gave excellent responses. Even though we have already won the gold, we are continually looking for ways to get better.
The Indian coach praised Sri Lanka for its performance despite being outplayed. "I think our hitters batted effectively in the beginning and middle phases, despite the fact that they (the Lankans) bowled pretty well. However, I must give them (Lanka) credit for their game plan.
Kanitkar also gave Rodrigues appreciation for her game-playing intention. "(It was) the final blow. I think employing the mind is far more mature than using massive hits, he remarked.
