Defending champions India advance to Asian Games semi-finals as rain washes out quarter-final against Afghanistan

Nagoya: Ground staff covers pitch due to rain (PTI Photo) The Indian men’s cricket team advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Games without taking the field after persistent rain forced the cancellation of the quarter-final against Afghanistan in Nisshin, Japan.With dark clouds and persistent rain keeping the blankets firmly in place and conditions showing no sign of improvement, the match was eventually called off without a ball being bowled, advancing India to the last four under the tournament’s knockout rules.India will now take on the winner of the Sri Lanka-Nepal quarter-final in the semi-finals as they continue their bid to retain the gold medal they won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Iyer leads a strong Indian team

India entered the tournament with a strong squad with several established international names. Shreyas Iyer leads the party and Tilak Varma serves as his deputy.The team includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yash Thakur.Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman is serving as the team’s head coach for the Asian Games campaign.

India eye back-to-back Asian games gold

India are aiming to retain the men’s cricket gold medal they won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Their campaign in the previous edition also ended in a weather-affected final, with India winning the gold medal after their title challenge against Afghanistan ended in failure.The Indian women’s team has already successfully defended their title at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to win the gold medal.

Pakistan also after being washed out

Earlier, Pakistan also advanced to the men’s semi-finals after their quarter-final against Hong Kong, China was abandoned due to rain. Pakistan progressed on the basis of their higher ranking ahead of Hong Kong, meaning both India and Pakistan reached the last four without playing their respective quarter-finals.