Indian team to face Afghanistan in Asian Games 2026 quarter-final in Japan

The quarterfinals of the men's cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya have been fully determined. After the match in Group A was cancelled due to rain on September 26 (Saturday), Nepal and Afghanistan advanced to the next round, while the host country Japan was eliminated from the tournament.

Malaysia and Hong Kong advanced to the next stage from Group B. In the last match of Group A, Nepal and Japan faced each other. This match took place at Korogi Sports Park in Nishin city. Nepal, having lost the toss, started with bat, scoring a strong total of 149/4 in 15 overs. Sandeep Jora and Lokesh Bam helped the team reach a good position, but then it started raining. Due to the continuous rain, Japan's innings did not begin, and the match ended without a winner.

This result brought direct benefits to Nepal and Afghanistan. Earlier, Nepal achieved a major surprise in Group A by defeating Afghanistan. For Japan, this match was the last chance to remain in the tournament, but the rain dashed its hopes.

In Group B, the match between Malaysia and Oman was also cancelled due to rain, and no balls were bowled. As a result of this match, Malaysia and Hong Kong qualified for the quarterfinals, and Oman's campaign ended.

Following the completion of the preliminary round matches, the full quarterfinal schedule was announced. India will face Afghanistan on September 28 (Monday) at 10:00 AM. On the same day, at 5:30 AM Indian time, Pakistan and Hong Kong will meet. The third quarterfinal match will feature Sri Lanka against Nepal, and in the fourth quarterfinal, Malaysia will play against Bangladesh. Both of these matches will take place on September 29 (Tuesday).

India has taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. The third and final match is scheduled for September 17 (Thursday) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Following the securing of victory in the series, the probability of changes in the Indian team's squad increases.

15-year-old Vaivava Suryavanshi was not in India's starting lineup in the first two T20 matches. In the first match, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma batted at the top order, and the Indian team retained the same starting six in the second match.

After the game, Shreyas Iyer stated that the team aims to give all players an opportunity to adapt to the field and conditions, as well as gain experience from practice matches. Therefore, there is a possibility of giving a chance to players who have been outside the squad so far, and some changes in the team combination may also occur.

Thus, the path is open for 'Baby Boss' to get a chance to play in the third T20 match. Previously, Vaivava demonstrated excellent performance in the T20 series against Zimbabwe, winning the 'Player of the Series' title with 151 runs. Despite this, he had to remain on the bench in the first two matches against Afghanistan.

Now all attention is focused on the match on September 17. If the team management decides to make changes, Vaivava may get his first chance to play an international T20 match in India.

Currently, Vaivava has scored 193 runs in 6 matches for India, with an average strike rate of 189.21, including two half-centuries. In these six games, Vaivava hit 16 fours and 14 sixes.

In the second match of the three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan, taking place at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the captain of the Indian team, Shreyas Iyer, decided to win the toss and start the game with a toss.

Vibhash Suryawanshi was once again in the spotlight during this confrontation, but he failed to make the starting lineup. India made only one adjustment to its playing XI: left-arm spinner Ravi Bishnoi returned to the team.

Captain Shreyas Iyer announced that Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out of the match due to a side muscle strain. He was replaced by Bishnoi. It is worth noting that Varun Chakravarthy participated in the first T20I but must now rest due to injury.

The Indian squad includes Sajju Samson as a batter-bowler, as well as Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, captain Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.

As for Vibhash Suryawanshi, he had to miss the second consecutive T20I. He was not included in the starting lineup in the first match of the series either. Before this, there had been active discussion around Vibhash; the 15-year-old young batter attracted significant attention during IPL 2026 due to his performances, sparking interest in his potential inclusion in the Indian team. Nevertheless, the team management decided not to put him directly into the T20I starting lineup in Delhi.

The Afghanistan squad made no changes for the second T20I. Captain Ibrahim Jadaran noted after the toss that he would prefer to start with a toss if he had the opportunity. However, having lost the toss, their goal is now to ensure a strong start in the powerplay and score a large total.

India aims to win in Delhi to gain an unassailable 2-0 advantage in the three-match series. For its part, Afghanistan is fighting to maintain its chances of winning the series.

India Squad: Sajju Samson (bowler), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

Afghanistan Squad: Rehmanullah Gurgaz (bowler), Ibrahim Jadaran (captain), Sedikullah Atta, Gulbadan Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Ajmatullah Umrazai, Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nur Ahmad, Mujib Ur Rahman, Fazlakhak Faruqi.