Gunalan Kamilini had made a major intervention through a run-out in the women’s cricket Asian Games 2026 final against Sri Lanka
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Gunalan Kamalini (L) during the 2026 Asian Games at Aichi and NagoyaCM Vijay (R) during a public ceremony(Credits: IANS)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CJoseph Vijay has awarded a cash prize of INR 75 Lakhs to wicket-keeper batter Gunalan Kamalini for being a key part of the Indian team that brought India’s first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games at Aichi and NagoyaThe women in blue crushed Sri Lanka by 147 runs to clinch back-to-back podium finishes.
India had posted a mammoth 216 on the board in the first innings and then bowled Sri Lanka out for just 69 within 15.4 oversSmriti Mandhana played the highlight knock of 79 while Richa Ghosh and Shafali Verma put up scores of 49 and 48 respectively.
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With the ball, Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil and Sree Charani accounted for two wickets each whereas Deepti Sharma bagged a hat-trick of scalpsWhile Gunalan Kamalini did not contribute with the bat or ball, she made a crucial intervention with a run-out of Mithali Ayodhya Bandara.
Kamalini played all three matches against Japan, Bangladesh and the final against the Lankans and she is the only representative from Tamil NaduOn that note, the state government, headed by CM Vijay, rewarded the wicket-keeper batter and stated that they will always support talented sportspersons from the region.
“Appreciating the great achievement of cricketer Kamalini, on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu, a prestigious cash award of Rs 75 lakhs will be given,” CM Vijay wrote on social media.
“The Government of Tamil Nadu will always stand as firm support for all talented sportspersons like herThis victory of Kamalini will provide new inspiration and confidence to the youth and women of Tamil NaduI wish her many more achievements,” CM Vijay added.
This is the first cash prize announcement made by a state government to honour the hard work of the cricketers that won India’s first gold medalNo other discipline has been able to secure top spot on the podium.
The men’s cricket team and the Kabaddi teams are also expected to add a gold into the Indian medal tally.
Indian women’s hockey team secure 20-1 win over Thailand
Meanwhile, another gold medal contender – the Indian women’s hockey team – thrashed Thailand 20-1 in their third Pool B match with Deepika Kumari scoring nine goals alone, which is the highest number of goals scored by an Indian athlete in a single Asian Games matchUp next for Indian team is hosts Japan on Friday, September 25 from 7:30AM (IST) onwards.
