India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs to defend the title they had won in the previous edition in China in 2023.
The more gold medals India wins, the better for us,” Harmanpreet told reporters. “It feels good to get a gold medal. For any athlete, it’s a dream. Our team has opened the gate for gold medals. But, we will definitely follow (other events),” she added.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday hoped that India’s gold medal victory in the Asian Games women’s cricket competition will open the floodgates for the country in the continental showpiece. “We are going back (to India) tomorrow.
The 37-year-old said the team had come with an open mind to Japan despite the possibility of a lack of proper facilities. Because we have always participated in bilateral series, the World Cup and the Asia Cup, asked where the Asian Games victory ranks in terms of achievements, she said, “As cricketers, we always wanted to be part of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
Harmanpreet said the single-point agenda of her team was to retain the gold. Harmanpreet said the team was determined to focus on what they could control. So, we didn’t focus much on those things,” she said. We will try to adapt accordingly,” she said. Talking about the men’s team winning by just two runs against Japan in a one-off bilateral match in Sano, she said, “I think if they also come here (for the Asian Games) with an open mind, it will be better for them.
“But we enjoyed the game, rather than just thinking about the stadium and facilities. Those things are not under our control. We can control our game and how we want to play the match. We were just thinking about those things, rather than how many facilities there are, what level they are at, and what they are not. “We know that cricket is not that famous in LA. They will also try to give whatever best they can. Our focus will be on the game and how we can do our best in those conditions.
They were playing in Delhi, which was a very good batting track, and suddenly they had to come here and play (on Tuesday).
