Japan vs India Live: Women’s Asian Games Quarterfinal
India begin their Asian Games title defence against hosts Japan on Friday at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi. Harmanpreet Kaur leads the defending…
Nisshin — japan vs india opens India’s Asian Games title defence on Friday at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi, where the women’s cricket competition begins straight with the quarterfinals. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India against hosts Japan in the fourth and final last-eight match.
The stakes are simple. One defeat ends the campaign, because the tournament does not have a group stage. India arrive as the highest-ranked team in the eight-team event, while Japan will try to use home conditions to trouble the defending champions.
India arrive after record Asia Cup run
India go into the match after winning a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title last week, when they beat Sri Lanka in the final. The result has added confidence to a squad that also carries a strong record in T20 cricket.
Ranked third in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, India enter as the top-ranked side in this competition. That status matters here. There is no long runway, no room to recover from a slow start, and the pressure lands immediately on the first ball.
Shafali Verma is expected to be one of India’s key batters after finishing as India’s highest run-scorer and the leading run-getter of the Asia Cup. Her starts at the top of the order helped India build momentum through that tournament.
India will also look to Smriti Mandhana to set the tone with Shafali, giving the middle order a freer hand. The batting has been a talking point around the side, and the opener pairing could shape how long Japan stay in the contest.
Japan count on home advantage
Japan, captained by Mai Yanagida, come into the quarterfinal with the advantage of familiar conditions and the noise of a home crowd. For a side facing the defending champions in the opening knockout round, that edge matters.
The match is also the first-ever meeting between India and Japan in women’s T20Is. That brings a clean slate. No recent head-to-head record. No match-up history to lean on.
India’s bowling attack will be led by Deepti Sharma and left-arm spinner Sree Charani. Charani was one of India’s best bowlers at the Asia Cup and reached 50 T20I wickets in just her 30th match during the tournament.
Japan’s lineup includes Akari Nishimura as wicketkeeper, with Erika Oda listed as vice-captain. The squad also features Ahilya Chandel, Ayumi Fujikawa, Hinase Goto, Haruna Iwasaki, Shimako Kato and others as the hosts try to push the defending champions hard in their own conditions.
Because the competition starts at the quarterfinal stage, every spell and every batting partnership carries extra weight. No safety net. The winner moves on, and the loser goes home from Aichi after a single match.
India’s squad also includes Richa Ghosh, G Kamalini, Shreyanka Patil, Bharti Fulmali, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav and Nandni Sharma, while Harmanpreet will again be at the center of the contest as captain and senior batter. The first full test of the title defence begins now.
Japan, though, will not need much encouragement. Against the highest-ranked team in the eight-team draw, one sharp powerplay or one tight over could change everything at Korogi Athletic Park.
Source: hindustantimes.com
