Team India has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Games 2026. The quarter-final match between India and Afghanistan at Korogi Sports Park was washed out due to heavy rain.
India advanced to the semi-finals without even taking the field because they are ranked higher than Afghanistan in the ICC T20 International rankings. The Indian team holds the top spot in the T20 International rankings, whereas Afghanistan is ranked 10th. Due to the rain, the toss could not take place, and the field remained completely covered. Led by captain Shreyas Iyer, the Indian team will now play the second semi-final match on October 1st.
Earlier, the first quarter-final match between Pakistan and Hong Kong (China), scheduled for Monday at the same venue, was also washed out by rain. Pakistan advanced to the semi-finals because their ICC T20 ranking was superior to that of Hong Kong (China). The tournament’s third and fourth quarter-final matches are scheduled to be played at the same venue on Tuesday. In the third quarter-final, Sri Lanka will face Nepal, while Bangladesh will take on Malaysia in the fourth quarter-final.
Prior to participating in the Asian Games 2026, the Indian team played a solitary T20 International match against Japan. Due to rain, the match was reduced to five overs per side, with India managing to win a thrilling contest by two runs. Indian batters struggled against Japan’s spinners, and the team could only score 32 runs for the loss of four wickets in their five overs.
Abhishek Sharma returned to the pavilion without scoring, while Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and captain Shreyas Iyer also failed to make a significant impact with the bat. Only two fours were hit during the Indian innings. However, thanks to Axar Patel’s fine bowling, India succeeded in restricting Japan to a score of 30 runs.
