{
  "id": 8177590,
  "title": "Asian Games 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur Wins Toss As Team India Elects To Bowl First Against Japan In Women's Cricket Quarter-Final",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/asian-games-2026-harmanpreet-kaur-wins-toss-as-team-india-elects-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T04:46:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/asian-games-2026-harmanpreet-kaur-wins-toss-as-team-india-elects-to-bowl-first-against-japan-in-womens-cricket-quarter-final"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the 2026 Asian Games, India secured the toss and opted to bowl first against Japan in the women's cricket quarter-final. Harmanpreet Kaur captains the Indian team as they face their hosts at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. This match marks India's inaugural game in the Asian Games as they aim to defend their gold medal from the 2022 Hangzhou Games. The BCCI Women reported, \"Toss #TeamIndia have won the toss and elected to bowl against Japan in the #AsianGames 2026 Quarter-final,\" on September 18. India entered the match buoyed by a stellar performance, securing their eighth consecutive Women’s Asia Cup title after defeating Sri Lanka in the final. The Indian squad will seek to maintain this momentum and secure a spot in the semi-finals. Japan, on the other hand, hopes to leverage home advantages to secure a surprise victory against the reigning champions. Mai Yanagida is leading the Japanese team, who will be making their maiden appearance in a women's T20I against India. The women's cricket competition at the Asian Games is a straightforward knockout format, requiring India to triumph in the quarter-final to advance to the last four. Bangladesh has already clinched a semi-final berth after their quarter-final clash with China was suspended due to a wet pitch.",
  "summary": "India won the toss and elected to bowl first against Japan in the women’s cricket quarter-final at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday, September 18. Harmanpreet Kaur is leading the Indian side in the knockout clash against hosts Japan at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The match marks India’s opening fixture of their Asian Games campaign as they begin their bid to defend the gold medal won at the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "News On Japan",
        "title": "Japan Women Rout Vietnam 8-0 to Reach Asian Games Quarterfinals",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/japan-women-rout-vietnam-8-0-to-reach-asian-games-quarterfinals",
        "published": "2026-09-18T00:09:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}