NAGOYA (Rajeev Sharma): India’s men’s cricket team booked its place in the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games without delivering a ball after persistent rain forced the abandonment of its quarterfinal against Afghanistan on Monday.
The defending champions benefited from their position at the top of the ICC T20I rankings. With Afghanistan ranked 10th, the tournament rules handed the semifinal berth to India after the weather made it impossible to stage the knockout match.
Rain has been a constant feature in Nagoya over the past several days, and conditions remained unsuitable for cricket on Monday. With the forecast offering little hope of a substantial window for play, even a shortened contest could not be arranged.
India will now face the winner of the Nepal-Sri Lanka quarterfinal. Should that match also be washed out, Sri Lanka would progress on the basis of its superior ranking and meet India in the last four.
The weather has already affected the other side of the knockout draw. Pakistan advanced after its quarterfinal against Hong Kong was abandoned, with its higher ICC ranking giving it the advantage under the competition regulations.
The unusual circumstances have also opened up a possibility of the title being decided without the full knockout schedule being completed. If rain prevents the remaining matches from being played, the tournament rules could see the highest-ranked team receive the gold medal.
India entered the competition as the defending men’s cricket champion and had been hoping to begin its title defence on the field. Instead, the team has progressed to the semifinals while waiting for the weather to ease.
With the knockout stage now underway, India’s next opponent will depend on the result — and potentially the weather — of the Nepal-Sri Lanka encounter.
