Ahilya Chandel ‘keen’ to meet Smriti Mandhana, says India clash at Asian Games ‘good opportunity’
Ahilya Chandel, the 23-year-old all-rounder from the Japan Women’s cricket team, first caught the attention of Indian fans when she served as a net bowler for Delhi Capitals (DC) during their 2025 WPL campaign. Now, she is set to be part of a historic occasion as hosts Japan take on India Women in the quarter-final of the Asian Games at Karogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on September 18.
Ahilya has been a consistent performer for Japan. She is currently their highest wicket-taker in WT20Is, with 41 wickets in 48 innings. With the bat, she occupies the No. 4 spot and has scored 407 runs in 43 innings.
Ahead of facing the Women in Blue on home soil, Ahilya spoke exclusively to RevSportz about Japan’s excitement at facing India, her eagerness to meet Smriti Mandhana, the possible pitch conditions, how the game could impact the growth of women’s cricket in Japan and much more.
She made no secret of her excitement about the India clash, calling it a huge opportunity for Japan and a challenge that could help the team grow further.
“We’re actually really excited to play against India, especially in cricket because they are one of the best cricketing teams and it’s going to be a really good opportunity for us to be able to see our level against theirs essentially,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s just going to be a good challenge for us, I think. And I think for us to grow as a cricketing team, we need that challenge. So we’re really excited, actually. We can’t stop talking about it.”
Recalling her stint with DC in the WPL, Ahilya spoke about bowling to the likes of Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. However, she is particularly eager to meet India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.
“After my experience with the Delhi Capitals in WPL as a net bowler, all my teammates did ask me about it. And I told them and shared what had happened and how their trainings were. It was really intense.
“It was always challenging, which was a good thing. And because I went there as a net bowler, bowled to like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and all those international players – because bowling to them, you have to be able to kind of think ahead. You need to be quite consistent with line and length and you need to be able to change your bowling as they change their batting and change their gears.
“It was a good experience then. As far as like who I’m eager to meet, it’s probably Smriti Mandhana. Like she is such, such an amazing batter. She’s left handed and I’m left handed as well. So I’m really keen to see her.”
For India and their fans, the weather and pitch conditions at Karogi Sports Park will be a key talking point. On September 17, the Bangladesh-China quarter-final was abandoned due to rain, while the Pakistan-Thailand quarter-final was rain-curtailed. However, the pitch and outfield looked promising during the 11-over game.
Ahilya, who has visited the ground before, also expects the surface to be decent.
“In regards to the weather and pitch conditions at the moment, it’s actually been quite unpredictable, especially with the weather. So in Japan, the pitch kind of depends on the weather, essentially. I know I’ve been to the Nagoya ground before, and it was actually a pretty good pitch from what I saw. So what they could expect is that it will be a decent pitch.”
The occasion is also expected to draw support from locals, friends and family, making the India clash even more special for the Japan players.
“Cricket in terms of the buzz around that, it’s been pretty good,” said Ahilya. “We’ll have locals there coming in and out watching the game who might have not known what cricket is. And, all that, it would be good exposure for us as well. Friends and family will be coming. So it’ll be really nice and a very special moment for all of us.”
On the potential impact of the India clash on the growth of women’s cricket in Japan, Ahilya credited the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) for its continued efforts and support in recent years.
“Look, when I debuted back in 2022, cricket was still not really talked about as much,” she said. “But because we’ve been able to play a lot of international competitions, and, the JCA is working hard with JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee), it’s been like slowly starting to become about cricket. But in terms of playing India, I think that’s going to help us quite a lot and, at the end of the day, having it at the Asian Games in Japan itself is already a such an exposure. So, we’re really lucky with that.”
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