Which team won the gold medal in women’s cricket at the Asian games before India?
India scripted history on Monday by defeating Sri Lanka to win the women's leg of cricket at the 2023 Asian Games in China. They became the second team after Pakistan, who won in both 2010 and 2014, to take the gold medal.
India won the toss in the final and opted to bat first. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues's brilliant partnership helped them post 116 runs on the board. The pitch at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou offered a lot of turn and awkward (sometimes dangerous) bounce, making batting challenging.
While Sri Lanka used almost half a dozen spinners to control the Indian batters, Harmanpreet Kaur's team struck early with pacers. Titas Sadhu sent the Lankan top three packing with her stunning lines and lengths before the spinners sprung in action to choke the lower order with the old ball, keeping them down to just 97-8.
This was India's first-ever medal in the Asian Games. Cricket wasn't a part of the competition in 2018 while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn't send either men's or women's teams in the 2010 and 2014 editions.
Ten teams participated in the 2014 women's edition. Pakistan and Bangladesh reached the final. Batting first, Pakistan could only score 97/6 in the 20 overs on a similarly spin-friendly wicket. The match became interesting when rain-enforced conditions reduced Bangladesh's target to just 43 runs in seven overs.
But Pakistan's spinners held their own and shot down the chasing team to 38/9 to clinch their second straight gold medal.
Why didn't India participate in the 2014 Asian Games?
BCCI didn't send the men's team in 2014 because the competition was clashing with the Champions League Twenty20, which saw the participation of four IPL teams.
The women's team didn't have any such clash but the BCCI reportedly didn't discuss the prospect of sending them at all.
"The men could be busy with other commitments, but it is perplexing to see the women's team not playing," former India Women's captain Diana Eduljee told ESPNcricinfo at the time. "A medal at the Asian Games would have not only brought financial rewards and perks from the government to women cricketers but also given them glory and respect. It is another indication the BCCI isn't really interested in running and spreading women's cricket."
The developing team was in dire need of experience and the non-participation only made the matters worse.