Japan bowled out for 57, Shafali blitz sends India into Asian Games semifinal

The fourth and final quarterfinal of the women's cricket event at the Asian Games 2026 was played between India and Japan, with the Indian team winning in one-sided fashion. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that proved fully justified.

Japan, batting first, made a slow but steady start and did not lose a wicket in the powerplay. Opener Ayaka Kato-Stafford played an important innings of 25 runs for her team, while Haruna Iwasaki also made 10. Apart from these two, no other Japanese batter reached double figures. As a result, Japan were bowled out for just 57 runs in 19.5 overs.

Among the Indian bowlers, Shree Charani was the most successful, taking four wickets. Shafali Verma also excelled with the ball, picking up two wickets. Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma took one wicket each. India also fielded well, running out two Japanese batters.

Chasing a modest target of 58, India did not get off to a good start, losing two wickets for just 24 runs. G. Kamalini could not open her account, while Bharti Fulmali was out for six.

But star batter Shafali Verma then took charge, playing an unbeaten innings of 40 runs off just 15 balls. During this innings, Shafali batted at a strike rate of 266.67, hitting six fours and two sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh supported Shafali well, remaining unbeaten on 12.

India won the match in just five overs, losing two wickets. With this win, India have sealed their place in the semifinals of the Asian Games 2026. The semifinal will be played on September 20, in which India will face Bangladesh and will look to win the match to keep their medal hopes alive.