Shreyas Iyer’s Indian team will begin their men’s cricket campaign at the 2026 Asian Games when they face Afghanistan in the quarterfinal at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin tomorrowThe match is scheduled to start at 10:30 AM IST.
India enter the knockout stage as the defending championsThe men’s team won the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, with the final against Afghanistan being washed outIndia were awarded the gold medal because they had the higher seeding.
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The Shreyas Iyer-led side received a direct entry into the quarterfinals along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and BangladeshAfghanistan, meanwhile, reached the last eight after finishing second in Group AThey had beaten Japan but lost to Nepal during the group stage.
Monday’s game comes only a few weeks after India and Afghanistan met in a three-match T20I series in DelhiIndia won all three matches to complete a 3-0 series sweep, giving Iyer his first series victory as India’s T20I captainThe two sides therefore know plenty about each other going into the Asian Games clash.
India also had one more T20 outing in Japanese conditions before the Asian GamesThey played hosts Japan in a rain-affected five-over match in Sano on September 22 and won by two runsThat game gave the Indian players some experience of the local conditions ahead of the quarterfinal.
The Indian squad has plenty of T20 experience with players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh part of the teamYoungster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also in the squad after a strong IPL season.
A notable obstacle could the rain, which could be a major concern during India’s Asian Games T20 quarterfinal against Afghanistan in Nisshin on MondayAccuWeather has forecast a 91% chance of rain and a 22% chance of thunderstorms during the daytime, when the match is scheduled to take place.
The forecast also points to humid conditions, with temperatures around 21 to 25 degree CelsiusAnother forecast has predicted light rain and broken clouds in Nisshin
