India’s men’s cricket team advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Games without taking the field after persistent rain forced their quarter-final against Afghanistan to be abandoned in Nisshin, Japan.With dark clouds and steady rain keeping the covers firmly in place and conditions showing no signs of improving, the match was eventually called off without a ball being bowled, sending India through to the last four under the tournament’s knockout rules.India will now face 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 strong Indian squad
India entered the tournament with a strong squad featuring several established international names. Shreyas Iyer is leading the side, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy.The squad 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 India cricketer VVS Laxman is serving as the team’s stand-in 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 with a weather-affected final, with India awarded the gold medal after their title clash against Afghanistan was washed out.The Indian women’s team has already successfully defended its Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to claim the gold medal.
Pakistan also through after washout
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 over Hong Kong, meaning both India and Pakistan have reached the last four without playing their respective quarter-finals.