India's men's cricket team reached the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Games on Monday after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was called off without a ball bowled because of persistent rain at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The washout meant defending champions India progressed automatically under the competition's knockout regulations, extending their unbeaten run in the tournament without even taking the field.
Rain strikes again in Nisshin
Persistent rain and a damp outfield forced the abandonment of the quarter-final just 16 minutes before the scheduled toss. The conditions had been deteriorating throughout the day, with an earlier fixture at the same venue already falling victim to the weather.
Earlier in the day, the other Asian Games cricket quarter-final between Pakistan and Hong Kong China was also abandoned due to heavy rain, with Pakistan advancing in identical circumstances to India.
How India progressed without playing
Under the Asian Games cricket regulations, a knockout match that cannot be completed is decided in favour of the higher-ranked side. India are currently the world No. 1 T20I team while Afghanistan are 10th, meaning Shreyas Iyer's side went through without a contest.
The rule also reflects India's dominance in the fixture. Afghanistan are yet to beat India in a T20I match, with India having won 11 of the 13 head-to-head matches, while two matches - both Asian Games fixtures - have ended with no result.
A repeat of Hangzhou history
The washout carries an eerie echo of the last Asian Games. Afghanistan have now ended a second successive Asian Games men's tournament with a washout against India, having taken silver in Hangzhou in 2023 after their final against higher-seeded India was abandoned partway through the first innings.
Speaking before the rain intervened, India captain Shreyas Iyer had stressed the pressure of representing the country at a major multi-sport event. "Whenever you represent India, you have to have expectations of finishing on top," he said in comments carried by Indian media ahead of the tie.
Who India face next
India's reward for progressing without playing is extra rest before the last four. India's semi-final opponent will be decided by the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and Nepal, with the two sides meeting on Tuesday to determine who advances to face the tournament favourites.
The men's semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, again at Korogi Sports Park, with the bronze and gold medal matches to follow on 3 October. India go into the knockout stages chasing back-to-back gold medals after winning the men's title in Hangzhou in 2023.
The squad Shreyas Iyer leads in Japan is stacked with international experience. India's squad for the tournament is led by Shreyas Iyer, with players including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yash Thakur. Teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had been mentioned as a contender for a debut cap, but with the quarter-final abandoned without a ball being bowled, there was no opportunity for him to make his Asian Games debut.
India's women already champions
The washout adds to what is shaping up as a successful Games for Indian cricket overall. The women's Indian cricket team has already successfully defended its Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya, with the men's squad now hoping to complete a second consecutive golden double for the country.
For Afghanistan, elimination via a second straight rain-hit knockout defeat against India will be a bitter pill after a promising group stage. Attention now turns to Tuesday's Nepal-Sri Lanka quarter-final, which will decide who India face in Thursday's semi-final as they bid to retain their Asian Games crown.