Asian Games 2026: India Face Japan in Women’s Cricket Quarter-final on a Packed September 18

India will be in action across Soft Tennis, Teqball and women’s cricket on September 18 at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, with the day headlined by the defending champions’ quarter-final clash against hosts Japan.

The Indian women’s cricket team will begin its knockout campaign against Japan, while Teqball player Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza faces a demanding day with matches in both Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles. India’s Soft Tennis team will also begin its campaign early in the morning.

India has sent a 503-athlete contingent to the Asian Games, competing across 36 sports. As the Games progress, September 18 could prove an important day for several Indian athletes looking to advance in their respective competitions.

The biggest fixture of the day will see India take on Japan in the women’s cricket quarter-final. India enter the knockout stage as the defending champions and will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana serving as her deputy. Mandhana has been in the spotlight after recently surpassing Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket. She also holds the record for the most international centuries in women’s cricket across formats, making her one of the key batting figures for India heading into the quarter-final.

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India has further experience and quality with the ball. Deepti Sharma, the all-time leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, will be one of the players expected to play an important role, while Shree Charani, the format’s top-ranked bowler, adds another major bowling option. Shafali Verma also enters the contest after being named Player of the Series at the Women’s Asia Cup.

For Japan, this will be only their third appearance in the Asian Games cricket competition. Their best result came in 2010, when they won a bronze medal in a straight knockout tournament.

The quarter-final therefore represents a significant test for the hosts against the defending champions.

Quimcy Dsouza Set for Busy Teqball Day

India’s Teqball campaign will be led by Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza, who is scheduled to compete in both women's singles and mixed doubles. Dsouza begins her Women’s Singles Group A campaign against Japan’s Sakamoto before facing Cambodia’s Dy Koemyean later in the morning. The Indian player has established herself as one of the leading female teqball athletes in the country. She has won multiple national titles and reached a career-high world ranking of No. 24 in Women’s Singles.

If she progresses from the group stage, Dsouza could return to the table for the Women’s Singles quarter-finals at 7:30 AM IST. Her day does not end there. Dsouza will then partner Mohamed Anas Beg in the mixed doubles competition.

The Indian pair are scheduled to face opponents from the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Kuwait in Group A. Their four matches are spread between 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM IST. Beg also brings international experience to the partnership. He won a bronze medal in Men’s Doubles at the 2024 Teqball World Championships in Vietnam, part of India’s historic medal-winning campaign at the event.

With multiple matches scheduled across the day, Dsouza and Beg will have to manage both their physical workload and the demands of progressing through their respective events.

India’s action begins at 5:30 AM IST, when Jay Meena, Aryan Thakur and Yogesh Choudhary take part in the Men’s Team competition in Soft Tennis. The Indian trio will face Laos in Group C before taking on Chinese Taipei at 7:30 AM and Mongolia at 9:30 AM. The three matches will provide India with an opportunity to establish its position in the group and advance in the team competition.

The early start means Soft Tennis will set the tone for what becomes a packed day of Indian participation.

September 18 showcases the variety of India’s campaign at the Asian Games. Soft tennis begins before sunrise, teqball features multiple group-stage encounters and potential knockout action, while the women’s cricket team enters the decisive phase of its title defence. For Dsouza, it could be one of the busiest days of the Games, with singles and mixed doubles commitments potentially extending from early morning into the afternoon.

The cricket quarter-final, meanwhile, carries the biggest immediate stakes, with India needing to overcome Japan to keep its gold-medal defence alive. The day will conclude with the possibility of Teqball Mixed Doubles quarter-finals from 3:00 PM onwards, subject to qualification. With several Indian athletes and teams in action, September 18 promises a packed schedule for Indian sports fans following the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

India’s Full September 18 Schedule

5:30 AM IST — Soft Tennis
India vs Laos — Men’s Team, Group C
Athletes: Jay Meena, Aryan Thakur, Yogesh Choudhary

6:00 AM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza vs Sakamoto (Japan) — Women’s Singles, Group A

6:30 AM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza vs Dy Koemyean (Cambodia) — Women’s Singles, Group A

7:30 AM IST — Teqball
Women’s Singles Quarter-finals 2–3 — Subject to qualification

7:30 AM IST — Soft Tennis
India vs Chinese Taipei — Men’s Team, Group C

9:30 AM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza/Mohamed Anas Beg vs Philippines — Mixed Doubles, Group A

9:30 AM IST — Soft Tennis
India vs Mongolia — Men’s Team, Group C

10:18 AM IST — Women’s Cricket
India vs Japan — Quarter-final
Venue: Korogi Athletic Park, Aichi

11:00 AM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza/Mohamed Anas Beg vs Cambodia — Mixed Doubles, Group A

12:30 PM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza/Mohamed Anas Beg vs Thailand — Mixed Doubles, Group A

1:00 PM IST — Teqball
Quimcy Dsouza/Mohamed Anas Beg vs Kuwait — Mixed Doubles, Group A

3:00 PM onwards — Teqball
Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals — Subject to qualification

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