Fresh from their record-extending Asia Cup triumph, defending champions India will begin their Asian Games title defence as overwhelming favourites against hosts Japan in the women’s quarterfinals in Nagoya on Friday. India head into the continental showpiece with confidence after lifting their eighth T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last week, but the knock-out format leaves them with little margin for error. Eight teams are competing in the women’s event and the competition starts directly with the quarterfinals, meaning there are no group stage matches to provide teams with time to settle into the tournament. One defeat is enough to end a campaign.