The New Indian Express ·
Sport
Asian Games 2026: Harmanpreet Kaur and Co gear up for Japan test
CHENNAI: Amidst all the hype around the lone T20I between India and Japan men's team, their women counterparts will have a go at each other at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday. For India, who are coming on the back of the Women's Asia Cup win, this match and the tournament will be a new experience to play cricket in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin — a re-modelled baseball facility on the outskirts of the city centre — will be hosting the contest. The venue, with hybrid pitch, was given a seal of approval when it hosted the ICC East Asia-Pacific Qualifier earlier this year. On Thursday, the first match between China and Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball bowled due to inclement weather but Pakistan women edged past Thailand to advance later in the day.
On Friday, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are slotted to play in the morning before the India match in the afternoon. Though they did take part in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Asian Games in Hangzhou the year after, this will be a first-of-a-kind experience for this Indian team in Japan. And same will be the case for the coaching staff, who are featuring in a multi-discipline event for the first time. "I think this (Asian Games) is a great teaser towards the Olympic quest for the Indian women's team. We are getting used to certain things in the Asian Games. Just touring a different part of the cricketing world, which is Japan... never before been in this country," said Muzumdar who took over as head coach in December 2023.
"The same would probably be true for most of us in LA. So, I guess the players would have a different kind of an experience. I think it (Asian Games) is a great learning experience for everyone of us and I'm really looking forward to this Asian Games," added Muzumdar.
The 37-year-old captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, expressed her keenness to dominate the proceedings in Japan and take the learnings to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. "I'm sure how we enjoyed the last time in China (2022 Hangzhou Asian Games), the same way we are going to enjoy here (in Nagoya). As a team, we are looking forward to the Olympics, and hopefully going with the same mindset and the same approach... these two tournaments (Asian Games and Olympics), especially as a cricketer, we are really looking forward to," said Harmanpreet. "The countries like Japan and LA, we haven't seen much cricket, but as a cricketer, we are going to experience something totally different. We are not used to the conditions; we are not used to the grounds. It's a completely different feeling," she added.
