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India Advances to Asian Games 2026 Cricket Semi-Finals After Rain Washout Against Afghanistan

The quarterfinal clash between India and Afghanistan at the Asian Games 2026 was called off due to persistent rain, resulting in India progressing to the semi-finals based on superior seeding.

Match Details

  • Venue: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin
  • Captains: Shreyas Iyer (India), Darwish Rasooli (Afghanistan)
  • Toss Result: Match abandoned
  • Telecast: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV (India), PTV (Pakistan)
  • Officials: Gazi Sohel and Prageeth Rambukwella (on-field umpires), Viswanadan Kalidas (third umpire), Chris Thurgate (fourth umpire), Kamran Chaudary (match referee)
  • Result: India declared winners after rain forced abandonment
  • Player of the Match: Not awarded

What Happened?

Rain prevented any play from taking place in the India vs Afghanistan quarterfinal at Nisshin. Since the match was washed out completely, the rules favored India due to their higher seed. India will now face the winner of the Sri Lanka vs Nepal quarterfinal in the semi-finals.

Pre-Match Expectations

India's squad was close to full strength with Shreyas Iyer leading a lineup featuring powerful batsmen like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma. The bowling attack boasted Jasprit Bumrah supported by Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi, making the team formidable.

Afghanistan, captained by Darwish Rasooli, had some experienced players such as Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran, but many squad members lacked significant international exposure. This imbalance made the challenge tough against India's strong unit.

Win Probability Before Washout

  • India: 100%
  • Afghanistan: 0%

Predicted Playing XIs

  • India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh/Jasprit Bumrah, Jasprit Bumrah
  • Afghanistan: Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Karim Janat, Darwish Rasooli (Captain), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (Wicketkeeper), Ismat Alam, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Arab Gul Momand

Asian Games Men’s Cricket Schedule Highlights

  • September 24: Afghanistan vs Japan (9:00 AM JST), Hong Kong, China vs Malaysia (2:00 PM JST)
  • September 25: Hong Kong, China vs Oman (9:00 AM JST), Afghanistan vs Nepal (2:00 PM JST)
  • September 26: Japan vs Nepal (9:00 AM JST), Malaysia vs Oman (2:00 PM JST)
  • September 28 (Quarter-finals): Pakistan vs Hong Kong, China (9:00 AM JST), India vs Afghanistan (2:00 PM JST)
  • September 29 (Quarter-finals): Sri Lanka vs Nepal (9:00 AM JST), Bangladesh vs Malaysia (2:00 PM JST)
  • October 1: Semi-final 1 - India vs TBD
  • October 3: Bronze medal match and Final

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