SportsPosted at: Sep 17 2026 3:56PM


Asian Games: Indian women begin title defence against hosts Japan

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Fresh from their record eighth Asia Cup title, defending champions India will begin their Asian Games campaign against hosts Japan in the women’s quarterfinals on Friday, with a place in the semifinals at stake.
India arrive in Nagoya with plenty of confidence after their dominant run in Dubai last week, but the Asian Games format leaves no room for an off day. The women’s competition features eight teams and starts directly with the quarterfinals, meaning there is no group stage and a single defeat will end a team’s campaign.
Shafali Verma will be one of India’s main threats after finishing as the leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup. The opener was in excellent touch throughout the tournament and gave India strong starts at the top of the order.
Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, will be keen to find her rhythm after an inconsistent Asia Cup. India will also look towards captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had a quiet tournament in Dubai but brings considerable experience of high-pressure matches.
The bowling attack has several options, with all-rounder Deepti Sharma expected to lead the spin department alongside Sree Charani. The left-arm spinner was one of India’s standout performers in the Asia Cup and completed 50 T20I wickets in just her 30th appearance.
India also have pace options in Nandani Sharma, Renuka Thakur and Kranti Gaud, while Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil add to their spin resources. Patil has returned after recovering from an ankle injury.
Richa Ghosh provides further depth in the batting and can change the tempo of an innings in the middle and lower order. India will hope their openers can provide a solid platform for the middle order to attack later in the innings.
Japan, however, will look to make the most of home conditions. Ranked 39th in women’s T20Is, the hosts will be playing cricket at the Asian Games for only the third time. Japan have played seven T20Is this year, winning four and losing three, and will be led by Mai Yanagida.
Japan’s best finish in women’s cricket at the Asian Games came in 2010, when they won the bronze medal.
Against an Indian side packed with experience and recent form, Japan will need to handle the pressure of a knockout game while finding a way through India’s varied bowling attack and aggressive top order.
Squads: India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Shreyanka Patil, Bharti Fulmali, Shree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma.
Japan: Mai Yanagida (c), Erika Oda (vc), Ahilya Chandel, Ayumi Fujikawa, Hinase Goto, Haruna Iwasaki, Akari Nishimura (wk), Shimako Kato, Ayaka Kato-Stafford, Elena Kusuda-Nairn, Nonoha Yasumoto, Meg Ogawa, Kurumi Ota, Seika Sumi, Erika Toguchi-Quinn.UNI TB AAB
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