Indian Team's Schedule for Asian Games Changes: New Timings from Quarterfinals to Gold Medal Match

There might be a debate surrounding the presentation of the trophy for the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026. At the final, which will take place on September 13th at the International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, the Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Mohsin Naqvi, will attend as the chief guest. According to a report by the Pakistani media resource Geo Super, he will personally present the trophy to the winning team.

As the Chairman of the ACC, Mohsin Naqvi is also the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Therefore, if the Indian women's team reaches and wins the title in the final, issues related to last year's events may resurface. Currently, no official comments have been made by the Indian team regarding this matter.

Last year, the Indian team defeated Pakistan in the Men's T20 Asia Cup final. Following this, the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, refused to accept the trophy and medals from Naqvi. Although the Indian athletes received individual awards, they did not accept the main trophy during the award ceremony.

Kuldip Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Tilak Verma were recognized for their performances, while Salman Ali Aga from Pakistan received a cash prize as vice-captain. After this, Mohsin Naqvi left the field with the Asian Cup trophy. Subsequently, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) began attempts to secure the handover of the trophy. Currently, this trophy is kept at the headquarters of the Asian Cricket Council.

The Indian women's team still needs to secure its spot in the Women's Asia Cup final. If the team reaches the decisive match and becomes champion, the procedure for receiving the trophy at the award ceremony will receive significant attention.

Currently, it is only clear that after the final, which will be held in Dubai on September 13th, Mohsin Naqvi will present the trophy to the winning team. If India reaches the final and wins the title, this award ceremony may attract considerable attention.

Despite the final score of the India versus Pakistan match in the Women's Asia Cup 2026, held on Saturday (September 5), being one-sided, the behavior of Pakistani captain Fatima Sana drew the most attention. Her manner of sending the player off after dismissing her raised many questions.

In the match played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team scored a modest total of 56 runs. While chasing these runs, Shafali Verma showed determination by hitting a six on the very first ball. However, she managed to score only 12 runs and was forced to leave the field in the second over. Fatima Sana's ball hit her on the edge of the bat and immediately went into the bowler's hands.

After Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali Verma, declaring her out via caught and bowled, she accompanied her with a 'cold' farewell, which suddenly heated up the atmosphere on the field. Fatima pointed to the fielding team to signal to Shafali that it was time for her to return to the bench. Fortunately, the Indian batter did not respond to this gesture, otherwise, the situation could have escalated.

Subsequently, Fatima Sana sent Pratik Rawal to the pavilion with a personal score of 4 runs. She then dismissed Smriti Mandhana via LBW, dealing the third blow to India. By taking three wickets in the powerplay, Fatima achieved a significant feat: she became the fourth player in the squad to twice take three wickets in the powerplay in Women's T20 International.

Although the Pakistani captain dealt early blows to India by dismissing Shafali Verma and others, these attempts were not enough to secure a victory for Pakistan. After the three dismissals brought the score to 29 runs, the Indian captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Dipti Sharma took charge. Both batters played cautiously, preventing Pakistan from gaining further chances.

Dipti hit a four through mid-wicket off Nashra Sandhu's ball in the seventh over. Following this, Harmanpreet hit a six in the ninth over, securing India's victory by 7 runs. Prior to this, Indian spinners had restricted Pakistan's innings to just 55 runs. Shri Charni, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma, and Dipti Sharma prevented the Pakistani batters from playing freely. Pakistan's score when three wickets fell was 27 runs, but a series of dismissals followed. Besides Shawal Julfikar (14 runs) and Munib Ali (13 runs), no Pakistani batter managed to reach ten runs.

The preparation of the Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan is gaining momentum. In the men's cricket tournament, starting on September 24th, the team will be led by Shreyas Iyer. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir will not participate in these games.

The reason for Gautam Gambhir's absence is the overlap between the dates of the Asian Games and India's multi-format series against West Indies. This forces the Indian squad to compete on two fronts: the main team will play the series against the West Indies, while the team under Shreyas Iyer will represent India at the Asian Games.

In Gautam Gambhir's absence, former batsman Vice-Vice Laxman will take over the duties of head coach. This was reported by the news agency PTI. Laxman's support staff will include Sunil Joshi, Rishikesh Kanitkar, and Subdip Ghosh. Additionally, Maruf Fadjdar will take the position of assistant staff manager.

The Indian team includes many T20 stars, making it considered a strong contender for the gold medal. Regarding the team structure, there will be many specialists in the coaching and other functions within the support staff. Among them, after athletics, the largest contingent will be in the cricket sector for the Asian Games.

The Indian team will bypass the group stage of the Asian Games, receiving direct entry into the quarterfinals. Shreyas Iyer's team will play its first match in the 2026 Asian Games in the second quarterfinal match. Meanwhile, Pakistan will start the game in the first quarterfinal. In addition to India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also qualified directly for the quarterfinals, although the determination of the quarterfinal opponents will happen later.

The Indian team represents an excellent combination of experience and youthful enthusiasm. Besides captain Shreyas Iyer, the attacking lineup is strengthened by players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The all-rounders include Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, and Washington Sundar. In the spin department, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi will take responsibility. The fast bowling line-up is bolstered by options such as Jasprit Bumrah, Arshad Singh, and Harshit Rana.

Special attention will be paid to 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vaibhav, who gained recognition through his explosive batting in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and domestic cricket, will get the opportunity to prove his abilities on a major stage like the Asian Games.

The team under Shreyas Iyer includes many players capable of changing the course of a match in just a few overs in T20 cricket. This is why India is considered one of the strongest candidates for the title even before the tournament begins.

Indian team composition: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshad Singh, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.