Cricket barely scratches the sporting surface in Japan but there is no dearth of fans here for a sport that many would struggle to identify on screen. And no one has more, at least among the volunteers at the Korogi Sports Park, than Harmanpreet Kaur.
Even though the Indian captain did not come out to bat as India first decimated the Japanese batting, then strolled past the 58-run target in five overs for an eight-wicket win, the player with jersey No. 23 remains famous. 23, I like her. 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI With open temporary stands and barely any provision for shade, only the hardcore fans turned up. On the field, Shree Charani knifed through the Japan batting for a four wicket haul, then Shafali Verma’s unbeaten 15-ball 40 meant the game was over in a blink. 23 will, however, have the crowd behind her.
“I don’t know the name but No. My friend is an Indian and he also likes her game a lot. I really like watching the sport and her game,” a volunteer gushed. India’s Shafali Verma plays a shot during the Asian Games women’s quarterfinal cricket match against Japan, Friday, Sept. Among those were Virendra Maja and Aniket Yagnik, who took leave from work and came all the way from Osaka to watch the Indian team play. The two, originally from Madhya Pradesh, are big fans of Smriti Mandhana and Shreyanka Patil. “It is a proud moment for us to watch the Indian women’s team play in Japan. We applied for leave from work and drove here to cheer for them. The reward is a repeat of the Asia Cup semifinal against Bangladesh, a challenge that will be tougher than Friday’s outing. Jersey No.
It feels special,” Maja said.