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Magnificent Mandhana's 79 Helps India to Asian Games Cricket Gold

  • Defending champions India begin their Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games title defense against hosts Japan in Friday's women's quarterfinals, entering as heavy favorites following their eighth T20 Asia Cup triumph in Dubai last week.
  • The competition features a ruthless knock-out format where a single defeat immediately ends a team's campaign; with no group stage matches to settle into the tournament, pressure on India is significantly amplified.
  • India's bowling attack relies on experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma and left-arm spinner Sree Charani, who recently achieved 50 T20I wickets, while Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provide the batting foundation.
  • Coaching Japan is Vinay Iyer, a Mumbai club cricketer who moved to Tokyo for work; Iyer believes the Asian Games experience could be "a life changer" for his players facing India on home soil.
  • While the hosts look to capitalize on home soil advantage, Japan faces a formidable task negotiating India's aggressive top-order batters and spin-heavy bowling attack to remain competitive in the quarterfinal.
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IND-W vs SL-W Asian Games 2026 Final Live: The Indian team defeated Sri Lanka to win the Women's Asia Cup 2026. Now, they are aiming to defeat Sri Lanka in the gold medal match. India also defeated Sri Lanka to win the gold medal in the last Asian Games.

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Times of India broke the news in India on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
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