India Storm Into Asian Games Semifinals After Crushing Japan
Shafali Verma and Shree Charani star as India defeat Japan in the Asian Games quarter-final.
India bowled Japan out for just 57 in 19.5 overs before chasing the target in only five overs. Shafali Verma led the charge with an unbeaten 40 from 15 balls.
The explosive opener smashed six fours and two sixes during her rapid innings. Richa Ghosh added an unbeaten 12 from six deliveries as India finished on 59-2.
Shree Charani Dismantles Japan
Japan struggled to build momentum after India chose to bowl first.
Ayaka Kato-Stafford top-scored with 25 from 47 balls. Haruna Iwasaki added 10, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to provide resistance.
Shree Charani spearheaded India’s attack with four wickets for 10 runs from four overs. Shafali also contributed with the ball, taking two wickets for 13 runs. Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil claimed one wicket each.
Adnan Siddiqui Opens Up About Self-Acceptance, Mentorship and Showbiz
Japan reached 24-2 before losing wickets at regular intervals. The hosts eventually collapsed from 46-4 and were all out for 57 in the final over.
India Complete Five-Over Chase
India lost Gunalan Kamalini for a duck and Bharti Fulmali for six. Those early wickets did little to slow the defending champions.
Shafali continued her attacking approach and reached 40 not out from just 15 balls. Ghosh supported her with 12 from six deliveries.
India reached 59-2 in five overs to secure a place in the last four. The victory also sets up a semifinal against Bangladesh on September 20.
Sri Lanka Defeat Malaysia
Earlier, Sri Lanka secured their semifinal place with an 86-run victory over Malaysia in the third quarter-final.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu smashed 63 from 37 balls. Her innings included seven fours and three sixes as Sri Lanka posted 160-4 after choosing to bat.
Kavisha Dilhari added an unbeaten 44 from 27 balls, while Harshitha Samarawickrama contributed 25 from 18 deliveries.
Malaysia struggled during the chase and finished on 74-7 in 20 overs. Winifred Duraisingam top-scored with 28 from 47 balls, while Mahirah Izzati Ismail made 24.
Dilhari and Mithali Ayodhya claimed two wickets each. Athapaththu also took two wickets for three runs as Sri Lanka kept Malaysia under pressure throughout the innings.
