India vs Japan, Asian Games 4th Quarter-Final: India thrash Japan by 8 wickets, set up semi-final clash again

Shafali steps up again - To their credit, Japan managed a couple of early wickets even defending as modest a total as 57. The bowling itself was far from threatening, and some slack has to be cut for the hosts there given the inexperience. But it was reckless shot selection more than anything from the likes of G Kamalini and Bharti Fulmali, who threw their wickets away. Both were handed a golden chance to finish things off themselves, and neither took it. It needed a Shafali Verma special instead, and she duly delivered, timing the ball beautifully and finding the gaps at will. Her belligerent 40 off 15 was more than enough to get India home.. Bossed up and how! Clinical with the ball, commanding with the bat, India Women have sauntered to a massive win, chasing the total down inside the Powerplay itself. They have also qualified for the semi-final with ease, where they will face Bangladesh Women. Good scenes from the middle as Shafali and Richa share a warm hug before crossing over to greet the Japanese players. The players of Japan Women take a lap of the ground too, bowing to the crowd in each stand as a mark of gratitude for the support shown..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 59/2 (4.6 overs) 4.6: Shimako Kato to Shafali Verma, SIX! High and handsome. Shafali Verma hits the winning runs. India romp home in 5 overs and book their place in the semis. Kato floats it up there, right in the slot, on off. Verma clears her front leg and holds her shape, tonking it well beyond the long on fence for a biggie..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 53/2 (4.5 overs) 4.5: Shimako Kato to Richa Ghosh, Low full toss, on off. Ghosh just eases it to deep cover and gets to the other end..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 52/2 (4.4 overs) 4.4: Shimako Kato to Richa Ghosh, FOUR! Powered away. Kato errs in both line and length, outside off. Ghosh collapses her back knee and extends her hands as she slams it wide of long off. Ayaka Kato Stafford sprints to her left and dives, but her effort goes in vain. India go past 50 in 4.4 overs, and they need 6 more runs..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 48/2 (4.3 overs) 4.3: Shimako Kato to Shafali Verma, Bowled on a back of a length, outside off. Verma throws her hands at the ball, looking to force it through the off side. Chops it wide of cover, and the batters pick up a single..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 47/2 (4.2 overs) 4.2: Shimako Kato to Shafali Verma, FOUR MORE! Back of a length, outside off, skidding through. Verma waits for the ball to arrive, deliberately opens the bat face and threads the backward point and short third gap expertly for a boundary..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 43/2 (4.1 overs) 4.1: Shimako Kato to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Belligerent! A loose half-tracker outside off, Shafali Verma weighs back and steers it between cover and cover-point for a boundary.. A change in bowling as Shimako Kato comes on..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 39/2 (3.6 overs) 3.6: Nonoha Yasumoto to Shafali Verma, Had to hurry! Dragged back in length and around leg, worked away to the left of mid on, where the fielder dives full stretch for a superb stop. Both batters try to sneak through for a quick single, and there's a shy at the bowler's end, but the throw drifts wide of the target. They cross..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 38/2 (3.5 overs) 3.5: Nonoha Yasumoto to Richa Ghosh, Another overpitched delivery and Ghosh drags it wide of mid on for a single..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 37/2 (3.4 overs) 3.4: Nonoha Yasumoto to Shafali Verma, Very full and outside off, almost a yorker. Verma drives it along the turf to long off for a single..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 36/2 (3.3 overs) 3.3: Nonoha Yasumoto to Shafali Verma, Full on the stumps, eased down to mid on..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 36/2 (3.2 overs) 3.2: Nonoha Yasumoto to Richa Ghosh, Fuller in length, on off, Ghosh drives it to the left of mid off for a single..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 35/2 (3.1 overs) 3.1: Nonoha Yasumoto to Richa Ghosh, FOUR! Firmly driven away! Full in length, on the stumps. Ghosh gets on the front foot and smashes it gun-barrel down the ground to pick up her first boundary..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 31/2 (2.6 overs) 2.6: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Shafali Verma, SIX! Smoked down the ground! On a good length outside off, Shafali moves forward and lofts it cleanly over long off, holding her shape beautifully. .India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 25/2 (2.5 overs) 2.5: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Richa Ghosh, Pushed through, full and around off, Richa gets on the front foot and strokes it down to long off for a single.. Richa Ghosh makes her way out to bat..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 24/2 (2.4 overs) 2.4: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Bharti Fulmali, OUT! TAKEN! Bharti, too, fails to get some runs under her belt. And honestly, that was a reckless shot from her. On a fuller length, on the off stump, Bharti Fulmali tries to play it aerially over the leg side but goes against the turn and gets a leading edge. The ball is lobbed towards backward point where Shimako Kato takes a simple catch. India Women are 24/2, chasing 58..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 24/1 (2.3 overs) 2.3: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Bharti Fulmali, FOUR! Crunched! Very full by Stafford, on off, Bharti Fulmali clears the front leg away and smokes it powerfully down the ground for a boundary..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 20/1 (2.2 overs) 2.2: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Bharti Fulmali, Short and on off, Bharti goes deep inside the crease and hacks it to deep mid-wicket. Oda from the in-field gives it a chase and tidies it up. Two runs taken and Bharti is off the mark..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 18/1 (2.1 overs) 2.1: Ayaka Kato Stafford to Shafali Verma, A leg break to start with, full around off, Shafali drives it inside out and wide of extra cover for a single.. Time for spin as the leggie Ayaka Kato Stafford comes on..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/1 (1.6 overs) 1.6: Nonoha Yasumoto to Bharti Fulmali, Full and wide outside off, Bharti Fulmali drives it straight to the fielder at cover-point. A small win for Japan as Nonoha bowls a wicket-maiden. India need 41 runs to win..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/1 (1.5 overs) 1.5: Nonoha Yasumoto to Bharti Fulmali, A touch short, on off, Bharti rocks back and knocks it to short cover..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/1 (1.4 overs) 1.4: Nonoha Yasumoto to Bharti Fulmali, Back of a length, outside off, Fulmali square cuts it to cover. The fielder makes a half sliding stop and the point fielder backs it up. .India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/1 (1.3 overs) 1.3: Nonoha Yasumoto to Bharti Fulmali, Full-ish, outside off, Bharti drives it off the front foot to cover.. Japan's joy knows no bounds. Bharti Fulmali has been sent in at number 3..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/1 (1.2 overs) 1.2: Nonoha Yasumoto to G Kamalini, OUT! CAUGHT! Huge moment for Nonoha. She is ecstatic, and the Japanese players are all smiles. Yasumoto lands it full and on the leg stump line. G Kamalini tries to pump it over long on, but mistimes her lofted shot and airs it straight down the throat of Ahilya Chandel at long on. G Kamalini misses out on the opportunity after being promoted as the opener. India Women are 17/1..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/0 (1.1 overs) 1.1: Nonoha Yasumoto to G Kamalini, So nearly chopped on! Slightly back of a length, outside off, G Kamalini tries to cut it late, but gets a fat inside edge and luckily for her, the ball bounces past the leg stump.. India have raced off the blocks. Another left-arm quick has been introduced from the opposite end. Here's Nonoha Yasumoto. The keeper is standing up to the stumps..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 17/0 (0.6 overs) 0.6: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Absolutely clobbered! Serves it up there, full and wide on off. Shafali gets another chance to free her arms and she lifts it effortlessly over extra cover for another boundary. 17 runs off the opening over, and India need just 41 more runs to win..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 13/0 (0.5 overs) 0.5: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, On a back of a length, angled outside off, Shafali Verma looks to punch it away but chops it down the pitch..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 13/0 (0.4 overs) 0.4: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, Much better by Ahilya! Full and straight, on middle, Verma pushes it straight back at the bowler..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 13/0 (0.3 overs) 0.3: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Pierces the gap with ease and at will! Pushed across the batter, full in length. Shafali Verma leans on it and steers it magnificently through the gap between backward point and cover for a boundary..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 9/0 (0.2 overs) 0.2: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Up and over! Half-volley on the off stump. Shafali Verma brings her bottom hand into play and lofts it crisply over the mid off fielder for a boundary. Easy pickings..India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 5/0 (0.2 overs) 0.2: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, WIDE! Sprays it down leg, on a length, Shafali misses to connect the pull. .India Women vs Japan Women Live Score : 4/0 (0.1 overs) 0.1: Ahilya Chandel to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Lovely shot to get off the mark! Pitched full and around the off stump. Shafali Verma gets on the front foot, presents the full face of the bat and knocks it over and wide of short cover for a boundary.. We are back. Japan's head coach Vinay Iyer, who has played club cricket in Mumbai in the past, is having a word with his troops in the huddle. A change up top for India as G Kamalini walks out to open with Shafali Verma. It will be the left-arm seamer, Ahilya Chandel, to start with the new ball. Shafali to face the first ball. Here we go.... ... THE RUN CHASE .... India eye a quick finish - The Women in Blue need 58 runs to book their place in the semi-finals, where Bangladesh await. It is more a matter of when rather than anything else. Whether they make a change at the top and give someone like G Kamalini an opportunity to open remains to be seen. Japan, meanwhile, will look to make the task as difficult as they can for India and take as many positives as possible from the contest. Stick around as chase is coming up shortly.. Ranked 3rd vs 39th - Given the gulf between the two sides, it was always going to be a tough challenge for Japan after being asked to bat first. Neither of the two Indian pacers was particularly consistent with their lines and lengths, and they also did not attack the stumps enough. Ayaka Kato Stafford, who has represented Australia Under-19s in the past, has already shown plenty of promise in her short international career for Japan and looked the part with the bat. Through the middle phase, Japan found the Indian spinners tough to get away, with Sree Charani continuing from where she left off in the Asia Cup with another four-wicket haul.. Skittled out for 57 - Japan have fallen short of batting out their 20 overs, but getting as deep into the innings as they have against an Indian side boasting such quality in the spin department is no small achievement. Every run was cheered by the crowd that has turned up, and the Japanese batters have clearly looked to enjoy the occasion. And perhaps that is the biggest thing for them on a landmark day like this..Japan Women vs India Women Live Score : 57/10 (19.5 overs) 19.5: Shreyanka Patil to Nonoha Yasumoto, OUT! BOWLED! Done and dusted. Both the batters see the funny side of it. Japan Women have been bowled out for 57! A full delivery on the leg stump, Yasumoto makes room to swing it against the turn into the leg side. She misses, however, and the ball ricochets off her foot before trickling back onto the stumps. Shreyanka Patil also gets into the wickets in what's been a complete spin domination from the Women in Blue..Japan Women vs India Women Live Score : 57/9 (19.4 overs) 19.4: Shreyanka Patil to Nonoha Yasumoto, Swing and a miss! Pushed through, full and wide outside off, Nonoha Yasumoto tries to smash it behind covers, but the ball spins away after landing and beats the bat..Japan Women vs India Women Live Score : 57/9 (19.3 overs) 19.3: Shreyanka Patil to Nonoha Yasumoto, Into the blockhole, on middle, Nonoha carves it to short mid-wicket..Japan Women vs India Women Live Score : 57/9 (19.2 overs) 19.2: Shreyanka Patil to Ayumi Fujikawa, A bit quicker and fuller, around off, Ayumi Fujikawa walks forward and drags it through mid-wicket for a single.