India's Women's Cricket Team Advances to Semifinals at Asian Games 2026

India's Women Shine in Cricket Quarterfinals

Nagoya, Japan - On September 18, India's women's cricket team secured a spot in the semifinals of the Asian Games 2026 with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Japan. Meanwhile, the teqball mixed doubles duo of Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg earned a chance to compete for a bronze medal, marking a day of mixed results for the Indian athletes.

Although the official opening ceremony for the multi-sport event is set for Saturday, Indian competitors were already showcasing their skills in Aichi-Nagoya.

In the cricket quarterfinal held at Nisshin, India dominated by bowling Japan out for just 57 runs in 19.5 overs, then swiftly chased down the target, scoring 59 for 2 in a mere five overs, finishing with 90 balls to spare.

Choosing to bowl first, India's bowlers maintained pressure on Japan, taking wickets consistently. Ayaka Kato-Stafford was the standout for Japan, scoring 25 runs off 47 balls, but her efforts were insufficient as the team struggled to build a substantial total.

Sree Charani was the star of the bowling attack, claiming four wickets, while Shafali Verma added two more. Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma each contributed with a wicket.

Shafali led the batting charge with an explosive 40 runs off just 15 balls, hitting four boundaries. Although Gunalan Kamalini was dismissed without scoring and Bharti Fulmali managed only six runs, Richa Ghosh supported Shafali with an unbeaten 12 runs off six balls, guiding India to victory.

Shafali capped off the match in style, hitting a six over long-on to finish the game with one run needed.

This victory secured India's place in the semifinals, where they will face Bangladesh, while Pakistan will compete against Sri Lanka in the other semifinal.

In teqball, Dsouza and Beg rebounded from their earlier quarterfinal loss to Vietnam by defeating the Philippines' Abulencia Jhoana and Agustin Prince 2-0 in the mixed doubles repechage.

The Indian pair won the first set decisively at 12-3 and followed up with a 12-6 win in the second set, ensuring their spot in the bronze medal match on Sunday.

Their journey to the repechage included a setback against Vietnam's Gian Nghi Trinh and Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen in the quarterfinals, where they lost 7-12 in the first set and 10-12 in the second, ending their hopes for gold and silver.

Dsouza and Beg had advanced from Group A with two wins and two losses. They began with a 2-0 victory over the Philippines but faced defeats against Cambodia and Thailand before securing their knockout stage berth with a 2-0 win over Kuwait.

Dsouza is also set to compete in the women's singles event, having topped Group A with victories over opponents from Japan and Cambodia. She will face Indonesia's Sumaya in the semifinals on Saturday.

In other news, India's men's soft tennis team was eliminated after a 0-2 defeat to Indonesia in the quarterfinals.

Jay Meena and Yogesh Choudhary lost their doubles match 2-5 to Tio Hutauruk and Fernando Sanger, leaving India needing a singles win to stay in contention.

Aryan Thakur fought valiantly against Bagus Pradewa but fell short, losing 3-4, which allowed Indonesia to advance.

India reached the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group C with two wins from three matches. The team, consisting of Meena, Choudhary, Thakur, Aniket Patel, and Om Yadav, began their campaign with a 3-0 win over Laos but lost to Chinese Taipei before bouncing back with a 3-0 victory over Mongolia.

Despite the exit from the team event, India's soft tennis journey continues with individual competitions. Meena and Thakur are set to compete in the men's singles on September 22, while Meena will also participate in mixed doubles on September 21.

The official opening of the Asian Games is on Saturday, with double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor leading the Indian delegation as flagbearers.

Bhaker, who won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will compete in the women's 10m air pistol, women's 25m pistol, and the mixed team event. She made history as the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single Olympic edition.

Toor aims for his third consecutive Asian Games gold in men's shot put, having won the title in Jakarta 2018 and retaining it in Hangzhou 2023 with a throw of 20.36 meters.

The 20th Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, featuring over 500 Indian athletes competing in 37 sports. A total of 45 countries and regions will participate across 43 sports and 469 medal events, with Japan hosting the event for the third time.

India finished fourth in the Hangzhou medal tally with 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze, and aims to improve on that performance in Japan.

The Indian contingent includes five individual Olympic medallists, although defending javelin champion Neeraj Chopra has withdrawn due to an ankle injury. PV Sindhu will lead the badminton team, Mirabai Chanu will compete in weightlifting, Lovlina Borgohain in boxing, and Aman Sehrawat in wrestling.

India's boxers arrive after achieving a record 10 medals, including seven golds, at the Commonwealth Games. Athletics is also expected to play a crucial role, with over 70 track and field athletes participating. Notable names include Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, and Olympian Sarvesh Kushare, while Toor seeks to extend his shot put success.

India aims to defend its titles in men's and women's cricket and kabaddi, as well as the men's hockey championship. Shreyas Iyer will captain the men's cricket team in the T20 competition, which includes teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The women's team, also the defending champion, is led by T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

The hockey tournaments hold added significance, as the champions will earn direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India will also have chances to secure LA 2028 quota spots in archery, sailing, squash, surfing, and tennis.

With the opening ceremony approaching, India's campaign has already yielded a semifinal spot in women's cricket and a chance for a bronze in teqball, while the men's soft tennis team has concluded its team competition.