India advanced to the Asian Games 2026 semifinal after the quarterfinal was abandoned due to rain
The India vs Afghanistan quarterfinal at the Asian Games 2026 was stopped on Monday. Rain would not let up and made the ground at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin too wet to play on. The officials called it off before any toss took place. That meant Shreyas Iyer’s India went straight into the men’s cricket semifinal. Afghanistan were knocked out of the event. India did not have to play in the group phase to reach this stage. They were seeded and moved straight into the knockout round. Afghanistan, on the other hand, earned their place in the quarterfinal by coming through the group stage. India had been set to start its Asian Games run against Afghanistan on September 28. Again, weather stepped in and disrupted the schedule at the venue. This was not the first time rain caused trouble in the tournament. Earlier, the Pakistan vs Hong Kong quarterfinal at the same ground was also called off before a ball was bowled. Pakistan advanced because of a higher ICC T20I ranking.
India reached the semifinal because of the tournament format.
The event uses ranking to decide things if a quarterfinal match cannot be played. In this case, India had a higher spot than Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings. So India got the nod after the game was abandoned. Right now, India sit at No. 1 in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings. Afghanistan are at No. 10. Due to that gap, India moved to the semifinal even though they did not face a single ball in the quarterfinal. This also keeps India on track for the men’s cricket gold medal. They won it at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, and they still have a chance to defend it. Their last final with Afghanistan also ended up being decided by rain, and India again took the gold using the same ranking based rules.
India is heading for the gold medal match.
The next game is the semifinal on October 1. The semifinals are set for that day. The bronze medal match and the final take place on October 3. India will play the winner from the other half of the knockout bracket. That comes from the quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and Nepal. The winner of that match will move on to face India. Pakistan also made it to the semifinal. Their quarterfinal vs Hong Kong was abandoned. Pakistan’s semifinal setup links to the Bangladesh vs Malaysia quarterfinal.Shreyas Iyer’s side gets a longer prep window
With the match called off, Shreyas Iyer and his group will now have more time to get ready for the next game. In Nisshin, rain kept coming and it slowed India’s training. The team did not get many chances to work outside. Earlier, Iyer said the weather could not be used as a reason. He added that the team would have to adjust and keep moving forward. Now India will shift focus to the semifinal. The goal is to push on and try to hold on to the Asian Games men’s cricket title. For Afghanistan, the quarterfinal being stopped ends their run. For India, the outcome sends the team straight into the last four. Even so, India still must win the remaining knockout games to claim another gold medal.
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