The Indian Women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, inched closer to a medal at the Asian Games 2026 with a dominant win over Japan. Opting to bowl first, the Women in Blue knocked out the hosts for a paltry 57. In response, Shafali Verma finished the job within 5 overs to seal a semi-final spot.
Pure domination from IndiaJapan got off to a slow but decent start with openers Haruna Iwasaki and Ayaka Kato-Stafford but it was the Indian spinners that ran webs around them. Shree Charani, the World No.1 bowler, was at her impeccable best with a 4-wicket haul. Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma were also among the wickets as the hosts could only limp to 57. With a low score to chase, India opted to send Gunalan Kamalini to open the batting with Shafali Verma. After she was dismissed, Bharti Fulmali was sent at No.3, but she too failed to make an impact. Shafali did most of the scoring, racing to 40 off just 16 deliveries, while Richa Ghosh added a few finishing touches to close the game out in 5 overs.
India face Bangladesh in semis, final vs Pakistan possibleIndia will now face off against Bangladesh in the semi-final on Sunday. Bangladesh qualified for the final four after their match against China was abandoned. Bangladesh advanced on the basis of their higher ranking under the tournament regulations.
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in the other semi-final. Should both India and Pakistan win their respective matches, they will clash for the gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday, September 22.