India, Sept. 18 -- India will begin their women's cricket title defence at the 2026 Asian Games when they take on hosts Japan in the quarter-finals on Friday. The match will be played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi, with Harmanpreet Kaur leading the Indian side. The defending champions arrive in Japan with considerable momentum after winning a record-extending eighth Women's Asia Cup title. India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai last week, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma providing the platform with the bat before the bowlers completed a convincing victory.

For Japan, the quarter-final represents a landmark occasion against one of the leading teams in women's T20 cricket. Japan are captained by Mai Yanag...