India Women breeze past Japan, seal Asian Games cricket semi-final berth
Brief Scores: India (58/2 in 5 overs) beat Japan (57-all out in 19.5 overs) by 8 wickets in the Asian Games women's cricket quarter-final match.
India Women made a dominant start to their Asian Games gold-medal defence, brushing aside Japan by eight wickets in their quarterfinal at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Friday. The emphatic win saw India chase down a modest target of 58 in just five overs, with 15 overs still remaining.
Japan, who played their first-ever women's international match against India, were eventually bowled out for 57 in 19.5 overs. India’s bowlers turned the contest decisively in their favour after the hosts had made a steady start, with Shree Charani leading the attack with a four-wicket haul.
The victory sends India into the semifinal, where they will face Bangladesh on September 20. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side, the defending champions from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, will now be two wins away from retaining their gold medal. With the knockout stage underway, India produced a clinical performance that underlined the gulf between the two sides despite Japan initially making a composed start with the bat.JAPAN START CAUTIOUSLY Shafali Verma took 2 wickets in the quarterfinal. Courtesy: BCCI Women Japan’s openers Mai Yanagida and Haruna Iwasaki negotiated the early overs with discipline as India struggled to make an immediate breakthrough. Kranti Gaud and Nandani Sharma kept the pressure on with a tight opening spell, but Japan reached 24 without losing a wicket after the six-over powerplay.
The hosts showed patience against India’s new-ball attack, choosing to rotate the strike and wait for scoring opportunities rather than taking unnecessary risks. The opening stand gave Japan a platform, but India’s bowlers continued to maintain pressure by keeping the scoring rate under control.
Charani, however, quickly turned the momentum around. She leaked nine runs in her first over before making a remarkable comeback, conceding just one run across her next three overs. The left-arm spinner settled into an increasingly threatening rhythm, forcing the Japanese batters to play more cautiously.
The pressure eventually told in the sixth over when Charani struck twice. She dismissed Iwasaki for 10 before removing captain Yanagida for a first-ball duck, leaving Japan suddenly two wickets down. What had been a promising beginning for the hosts quickly turned into a fight for survival as India began finding regular breakthroughs.CHARANI ROCKS JAPAN
The collapse gathered pace as India’s bowlers tightened their grip. Ayaka Kato-Stafford attempted to hold the innings together, but wickets continued to fall around her.
Kato-Stafford top-scored for Japan with 25 off 47 balls, including two fours, before Shafali Verma ended her resistance. The all-rounder attempted to clear the infield but found a fielder instead, ending the longest resistance of the Japanese innings.
Charani returned to claim two more wickets, dismissing Akari Nishimura for two and Erika Toguchi-Quinn for a duck. She finished with impressive figures of 4-2-10-4, underlining how sharply she had recovered after her expensive opening over. Her spell was particularly damaging because Japan had appeared comfortable against her initially, only for the bowler to completely change the tempo of the innings.
Shafali also made an impact with the ball, completing her four overs for 13 runs and taking two wickets. Shimako Kato was her other victim, falling for three as Japan were bowled out with one ball left in the 20th over.
Shreyanka Patil, returning after an ankle injury, also made a notable contribution with the ball. She bowled three overs for just seven runs and looked sharp throughout her spell. Her return added further depth to India’s bowling attack and gave the defending champions another positive to take from the quarterfinal.SHAFALI MAKES FLYING START India chased down 58 in 5 overs. Courtesy: BCCI Women
India’s chase began in typically aggressive fashion, with Shafali taking apart Ahilya Chandel in the opening over. She smashed four boundaries as India raced to 17 from the over, immediately taking the pressure away from the visitors.
The explosive start meant Japan had little room for error. India's target was already within sight after the opening over, but Nonoha Yasumoto gave the hosts something to celebrate in the second.
Gunalan Kamalini, promoted to open, was unable to make an impact. Yasumoto dismissed Kamalini for a duck, sparking loud celebrations from the Japanese players. The wicket briefly raised the prospect of India being made to work harder for the chase.
Bharti Fulmali then joined Shafali but made only six from seven balls. She struck one four before falling to Kato-Stafford, edging a shot towards point and bringing another brief moment of hope for Japan.
However, the early wickets did little to alter India’s approach. Shafali continued to attack the bowling, ensuring that Japan could not build any sustained pressure. The required rate was never a concern, and India remained firmly in control despite losing two wickets.SHAFALI FINISHES IN STYLE Shafali Verma scored an unbeaten 40 off 15 balls. Courtesy: BCCI Women
With the target well within reach, Shafali continued to attack rather than allowing Japan any opportunity to build pressure. Her aggressive strokeplay ensured that the chase remained a short affair, with India needing only a handful of overs to complete the job.
Richa Ghosh provided the finishing touch, smashing an unbeaten 13 from just five balls, including a boundary. She joined Shafali at the crease with India already close to victory and immediately kept the scoring rate high.
Shafali brought up the victory in emphatic fashion, launching Kato-Stafford over the boundary to finish unbeaten on 40 from only 15 deliveries. Her whirlwind innings included four fours and two sixes and provided the perfect finish to an otherwise clinical Indian performance.
Bangladesh now stand between Harmanpreet’s side and a place in the gold-medal match. India will enter the September 20 semifinal having made a statement in the quarterfinal, combining a disciplined bowling effort with an explosive chase to move one step closer to another Asian Games final.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 12:58 IST
