IND vs AFG: India-Afghanistan Asian Games quarter final called off due to rain; what happens next
India's quarterfinal cricket match against Afghanistan was canceled due to adverse weather conditions affecting Nagoya. The Indian team advanced to the semi-finals thanks to their superior ICC rankings after cancellation. Recent match practice for the Indian team was limited due to heavy rain disruptions. They previously secured a narrow victory against Japan in a shortened fixture. India had also recently completed a successful T20I series against Afghanistan.
The Asian Games 2026 cricket battle between India and Afghanistan was called off on Monday due to adverse weather conditions. Following the cancellation, the Indian men's cricket team entered semi-final due to superior ICC rankings.Nagoya has been battered by relentless rain over the last two days, severely disrupting India's preparations for the knockout stage. Their only recent match practice came against Japan in a rain-shortened game, which India won by just two runs in a five-over-a-side contest at the Sano International Cricket Ground.The Indian cricket team came into the quarterfinal having beaten Afghanistan 3-0 in a T20I series.India will now face either Sri Lanka or Nepal in the semi-final of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket contest as the third quarterfinal is set to see Sri Lanka take on Nepal tomorrow morning, with the winner advancing to face India in the semi-final.The Indian squad for Asian Games cricket competitions features several established international players, including captain Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur.The Indian men's cricket team is aiming to retain the gold medal from the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.Women's Indian cricket team wins goldThe women's Indian cricket team has already defended its Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya as Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to claim the gold medal.The men's team now awaits the outcome of the Sri Lanka-Nepal quarter-final to know their semi-final opponent as they continue their campaign for another Asian Games gold.Pakistan also qualified for the Asian Games semi-finals after a washout against Hong Kong.