India opened their gold medal account at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday as Harmanpreet Kaur’s team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs to retain the women’s cricket title. On the same day, Sachin Tendulkar praised Japan’s efforts to introduce cricket to a wider audience following India’s memorable one-off T20I against the hosts.

India produced a dominant display in the women’s final at Korogi Sports Park, posting 216/3 before bowling Sri Lanka out for just 69. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 and Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 49 off 22 deliveries. Tendulkar’s comments, however, focused on the men’s India-Japan T20I in Sano.

The former India batter highlighted the cricket reckoners handed to spectators at the entrance, which explained the basic rules and helped local fans unfamiliar with the sport follow the action. “There’s something very special about watching cricket find new homes,” Tendulkar wrote on X. “Seeing India play Japan is wonderful in itself, but what made me smile was seeing reckoners being given to the audience at the entrance so they could understand the game better.”

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Japan’s women had already faced India during the Asian Games on September 18, marking their first appearance at the continental event. India bowled Japan out for 57 before chasing down the target in only five overs to register an eight-wicket victory.

There’s something very special about watching cricket find new homes.

Seeing India play Japan is wonderful in itself, but what made me smile was seeing reckoners being given to the audience at the entrance so they could understand the game better.

We’ve all had our first… pic.twitter.com/1d79UxIziG

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 22, 2026

The Japanese men’s Asian Games campaign is yet to begin. Their clash with India in Sano was a separate one-off T20I, giving the hosts an opportunity to face a major cricketing nation before their official campaign at the Games. Rain reduced the Sano contest to five overs per side, but Japan pushed India throughout the shortened match. India’s batting struggled against disciplined bowling and finished on 32/4, with captain Shreyas Iyer scoring 16.

Japan then required eight runs from the final over to pull off a major upset. However, India conceded only five runs, securing a narrow two-run victory.

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Despite the defeat, Japan’s performance offered plenty of encouragement as they competed against a vastly more experienced Indian side. “We’ve all had our first cricket match. It’s lovely to see more people getting theirs,” Tendulkar added.

He also praised Japan for embracing the occasion and taking on the challenge against India. “Credit to the Japan team for taking on the challenge and putting up a fight,” the legendary batter wrote. Tendulkar’s comments underlined the significance of cricket’s continued growth in Japan and the efforts being made to make the sport more accessible to new audiences.