India Women secured their place in the semifinal of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 with a dominant eight-wicket victory over Japan Women on Friday, September 18. The defending champions produced a clinical bowling performance to dismiss the hosts for just 57 before racing to the target inside five overs.

Shree Charani was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 4/10 from her four overs. Shafali Verma then completed an all-round performance by taking two wickets before smashing an unbeaten 40 to guide India across the finish line with 90 balls to spare.

Shree Charani leads India’s bowling attack

India opted to bowl first after winning the toss, but Japan’s openers managed to make a steady start. The hosts reached 24/0 after six overs before India’s spinners began to turn the game decisively in their favour. Charani led the collapse with a superb spell of 4/10, including two maidens. She consistently troubled Japan’s batters and became the standout figure in India’s disciplined bowling effort.

Shafali also made an important contribution with the ball, claiming 2/13 from her four overs. Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma picked up one wicket each as India continued to apply pressure and prevented Japan from building meaningful partnerships. Japan eventually lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 57 in 19.5 overs.

Ayaka Kato Stafford offers Japan some resistance

Ayaka Kato Stafford provided Japan with their main contribution with the bat as wickets fell around her. She battled through India’s attack to score 25 from 47 deliveries, but struggled to find enough support at the other end. Japan’s early progress had suggested they could put up a more competitive total, but India’s spin attack gradually dismantled their batting lineup.

The hosts could not find the boundaries or partnerships required to recover from the middle-order collapse. Shafali’s contribution with the ball added to Japan’s problems, while Charani’s four-wicket haul ensured India maintained control until the final wicket fell.

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Shafali Verma finishes India’s chase in style

India’s chase began with an early setback as Gunalan Kamalini was dismissed for a duck. Bharti Fulmali also departed after scoring six, but Japan could not capitalise on those breakthroughs. Shafali took complete control of the chase with a remarkable display of attacking batting. The opener smashed an unbeaten 40 from just 15 balls, using six fours and two sixes to take India rapidly towards the target.

Richa Ghosh joined her at the crease and added an unbeaten 12 off six deliveries. With only one run required for victory, Shafali fittingly finished the contest herself by launching Shimako Kato over long-on for a six. India reached 59/2 in only five overs, sealing an eight-wicket victory with 90 balls to spare and booking their place in the semifinals. The defending champions will now face Bangladesh in the semifinal on Sunday, September 20. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will contest the other semifinal as the race for the gold medal moves into its final stages.

A convincing 8 wicket victory for India in the quarter-final to seal a spot in the final four 🙌💜#INDvJAP #TeamIndia #AsianGames2026 pic.twitter.com/7FKXZGonsd

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) September 18, 2026

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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