The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian team will take on Afghanistan in the quarterfinals of the men’s cricket competition of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday.
Afghanistan were confirmed as India’s quarterfinal opponents after the Group A match between Japan and Nepal in Nisshin was washed out due to rain.
Nepal topped Group A with three points from two matches, with Afghanistan finishing in second place with two points. Nepal will take on Sri Lanka in another quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Afghanistan had opened their campaign with a 48-run victory over hosts Japan on 24 September. They then faced Nepal in their second Group A fixture on 25 September, losing by five wickets. Nepal successfully chased Afghanistan’s target of 103 with five wickets in hand and 17.2 overs.
With Nepal and Afghanistan finishing in the top two positions, both teams progressed to the quarter-finals.
The result of the Japan-Nepal fixture was significant for the knockout draw, as the second-placed team in Group A was scheduled to meet India in the quarter-finals.
India’s direct entry into quarterfinal
India had already secured a place in the knockout stage before the men’s competition began. Along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India received direct entry into the quarter-finals as one of the four seeded teams.
Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal were placed in Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman were drawn in Group B. The top two teams from each group were due to advance to the quarter-finals.
The Indian squad for the tournament, led by Iyer, includes several established international players. The squad announced by the International Cricket Council features Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah among others.
The quarter-final against Afghanistan will mark India’s first match in the men’s cricket competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The tournament is being played in the T20 format, with the men’s competition scheduled from 24 September to 3 October. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, followed by the bronze-medal match and final on October 3.
India are the defending champions of the men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games. The men’s cricket team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, had won gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou after the final against Afghanistan was washed out due to rain. India clinched gold on the basis of a higher ranking.
The women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, recently clinched gold at the Asian Games after beating Sri Lanka in the final.