Mirabai Chanu’s Nagoya Mission: The Missing Medal and the Relentless …

Mirabai Chanu is on a mission: to win India’s first weightlifting medal at the Asian Games in three decades and, in doing so, earn the only medal missing from her cabinet.

Ever since Glasgow, she hasn’t missed a single day of training. In fact, even after winning the Commonwealth medal in Glasgow, Mira was back in the weightlifting hall the very next day, training for the Asian Games. While I have documented this incredible hunger in some of my pieces, what her coach Vijay Sharma said the day before came as a complete surprise to me as well.

“Yesterday we had called a nutritionist to the camp,” he said. “Mira was keen to meet the nutritionist and asked for a detailed diet chart, which she will follow from the 24th, the day after the Asian Games get over. In LA28, she will be participating in the 53kg category and she will start loading up from the day the Asian Games get done. She needs a detailed plan so that she doesn’t have to waste any time.” h-doctor.club

In all honesty, I was taken aback. While I have always known Mira as a perfectionist and a disciplinarian, this was something else. To be Mirabai Chanu, India’s greatest-ever weightlifter, this is what you need.

“There are athletes who are as talented as Mira,” said Vijay. “In fact, I have even seen athletes who perhaps had more talent. But I haven’t seen anyone come close to Mira in commitment and discipline. That’s where she is different and that’s why she is the best.”

And yet, Mira is her usual humble self. You see her and she will greet you with a warm smile and never say no to an interview request. She has also started assisting Vijay Sharma in grooming Manipuri kids who are more comfortable with her around.

“We now have 22 kids from Manipur and they find it reassuring with Mira there,” said the coach.

On 23 September, each one of us will be awaiting history in Nagoya.

“I keep going to the camp and I can tell you Mirabai is in superb shape,” said Sahadev Yadav, Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent and President of the Weightlifting Federation. “She is definitely capable of lifting more than 200kg and, everything going well, you will see her on the podium in Nagoya. For Indian weightlifting, it will be a red-letter day. In our field, the Asian Games is as competitive as the Olympic Games and winning a medal here is not easy. I am very confident Mira will do so and make us proud.”

While I am cautiously optimistic for Mira, I can say one thing with certainty. While the world around her will celebrate, she will quietly start thinking of the diet chart she has to follow from the very next day. Her quest for LA28 will begin in Nagoya itself.

That’s why she is Mirabai Chanu, one of India’s greatest-ever athletes and a role model to us all.

For more updates on the Asian Games 2026, follow RevSportz

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India vs Japan 2026 One-off T20I: Shreyas Iyer’s Team India will take on Japan in a historic first-ever T20I match against Japan – the hosts of Asian Games 2026 starting later this month. The T20 World Cup champions will take on Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming-led Japan team in a one-off T20I organized as warm-up of Asian Games at the Sano International Cricket Ground on September 22.

While India will field a star-studded line-up featuring 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, world No. 1 T20I batter Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, hosts Japan also announced their squad for this one-off fixture on Tuesday.

Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer, will lead the side and will be joined by Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb – the other two members of the squad with more than 50 T20I appearances to their name. Japan have selected their squad with their Asian Games 2026 campaign in mind and have left out players who meet ICC eligibility requirements for T20Is but are not eligible under Asian Games regulations.

As a result of these rules, emerging spin-bowling all-rounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn has been selected after impressing in domestic cricket. Veteran Tsuyoshi Takada also returns to the squad, having first represented Japan at the ICC East Asia-Pacific Twenty20 Championship back in 2013.

The squad includes Wataru Miyauchi and Makoto Taniyama, both products of Japanese schools that have cricket Bukatsu programmes. Taniyama, a leg-spinner who developed his bowling action after watching videos of Australia great Shane Warne, wears jersey number 23 in honour of his idol and is Japan’s leading wicket-taker across pathway and international cricket.

Charlie Hara-Hinze, who was part of Japan’s Under-19 World Cup side that defeated Tanzania, has also been included, while spinner Benjamin Ito-Davis returns after a hand injury ended his participation in Japan’s East Asia-Pacific T20 World Cup 2028 Sub-Regional Qualifier campaign.

Japan finished second in that tournament and remain in contention for qualification for the T20 World Cup 2028 in Australia. They are level on points with Papua New Guinea but behind them on net run-rate despite beating the Barramundis in their final match.

The India game will be the first event under ‘Sport 75’, an initiative arising from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative aims to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries through sport.

Japan will also face Hong Kong in two T20Is on September 19 and 20 before beginning their Asian Games 2026 campaign against Afghanistan on September 24 and Nepal on September 26. They will need to finish in the top two to advance to the quarter-finals.

Shreyas Iyer’s side have been given a ‘bye’ through to the quarterfinals and will open their campaign on September 28. Harmanpreet Kaur’s women cricket team will face hosts Japan in the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinal on September 18.

THE SQUAD IS HERE!

日本 が、スズキカップでインド と対戦する歴史的な一戦に臨むメンバーを発表しました。#japancricket #クリケット #india #JPNvIND #SuzukiCup pic.twitter.com/DtbkXKCmt0

— 一般社団法人 日本クリケット協会｜ JCA Japan Cricket Association (@CricketJapan) September 7, 2026

Here are all the details about India vs Japan one-off T20I match…

When will India vs Japan one-off T20I match take place?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will take place on Tuesday, September 22.

Where will India vs Japan one-off T20I match take place?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will take place at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan.

What time will India vs Japan one-off T20I match begin?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will begin at 930am IST. The toss will take place at 9am IST.

How can I watch India vs Japan one-off T20I match LIVE on TV in India?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports network channels in India.

How can I watch India vs Japan one-off T20I match live streaming in India?

The India vs Japan one-off T20I match will be available for live streaming on FanCode website and app.

India vs Japan one-off T20I match Squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Japan: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake

Dubai [UAE], September 8 (ANI): Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has called for improvement across several areas of her team’s game as they prepare to face unbeaten Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Pakistan secured their place in the last four with a convincing 72-run victory over Hong Kong, China on Monday. Experienced spinner Nashra Sundhu starred with a six-wicket haul, registering the best-ever T20I figures by a Pakistan bowler.

Despite the emphatic win, Fatima believes Pakistan cannot afford to be complacent against Sri Lanka and identified batting as one area requiring attention ahead of the knockout clash.

“I think in the batting side we need more, like strike rotation in the batting, and we need more partnerships. And we will try to sit together and discuss these things," Fatima said after the win over Hong Kong, China, as per the ICC website.

Pakistan will now face a Sri Lankan side that has remained unbeaten in the tournament, making Friday’s encounter a significant test for Fatima’s team as they look to reach the final.

“So we just go and sit together and discuss a lot of things before the semi-final because we know that it’s a knockout match, so we will try," said Fatima.

While Pakistan advanced to the semi-finals, Hong Kong, China ended their campaign without a win from three matches. However, captain Natasha Miles was pleased with the experience of competing against some of the leading teams in women’s cricket.

Hong Kong, China came close to securing a victory in their tournament opener against Thailand, eventually losing by six runs, and Miles felt the campaign provided valuable lessons for her side.

“It’s been super," Miles said, according to the ICC website. “Always playing this standard of cricket is going to test you, and it’s going to get you to learn more about your game, about yourselves."

“It’s been a really fun campaign, exciting, and hopefully we get to come and do this a few more times," she added.

Pakistan will now look to build on Sundhu’s record-breaking bowling performance while addressing their batting shortcomings when they take on Sri Lanka in the high-stakes semi-final on Friday. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Indian Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill celebrates his 27th birthday on Tuesday, reaching another milestone in a journey that has seen him transition from a young talent into India's Test and ODI captain.

Gill first established himself as a household name after winning Player of the Tournament during India’s triumph at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup.

The opening batter remains the fastest player in ODI history to cross both the 2,000 and 2,500-run milestones. He is also the youngest cricketer to smash a double century in 50-over international cricket.

Gill made his ODI debut back in 2019, but his true breakout occurred during the memorable 2020-21 Test series in Australia. After registering scores of 45 and 35 on debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he struck a half-century in Sydney and played a match-winning 91 in India's famous series-clinching chase at the Gabba.

Gill's journey towards Indian Test and ODI captaincy

Shubman Gill's maiden Test century arrived in Chattogram the following year. Just a month later at age 23, he smashed 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand. He went on to score over 350 runs in India's run to the 2023 World Cup final and won the 2025 Champions Trophy with the senior team. Gill also starred in the 4-1 Test series win against England in 2024, hitting tons in Visakhapatnam and Dharamsala alongside clutch half-centuries in Rajkot and Ranchi.

In the IPL, Gill assumed the captaincy of Gujarat Titans in 2024 following Hardik Pandya's exit, leading the side to the playoffs in 2025 while scoring 650 runs. He followed that up with a massive 732-run season in 2026, finishing as the league's second-highest run-scorer behind teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

After Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket, Gill was appointed Test captain for the 2025 tour of England. He responded with a historic campaign, scoring 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries, including a personal best of 269, to secure a 2-2 draw. It marked the second-highest tally ever by a captain in a Test series, trailing only Don Bradman's 810 runs during the 1936-37 Ashes.

Across his career, Gill has scored 3,043 runs in 43 Tests at 43.47, with 11 centuries. His ODI record features 3,379 runs in 67 matches at an average of 60.33, while his T20I record includes 869 runs in 36 games at a 138.59 strike rate.