Due to incessant rain, the Indian team, a two-time T20 World Championship champion, is forced to enter the Asian Games semi-finals without proper preparation and in an irregular state. On Thursday, the Indian squad will face the Sri Lankan team. The match is scheduled to start at 10 am Indian time.
After arriving in Nagoya, the Indian team could not get enough opportunities for training due to constant downpours. They managed to conduct only one training session before the semi-final when the sky cleared slightly. Although clear weather is forecast for Thursday and Friday, there is a risk of further rain during the final on Saturday.
It is interesting that all four teams in the semi-finals have not played a single match in the tournament yet. All quarter-final matches were cancelled due to rain, and the participants for the semi-finals were determined based on the ICC ranking. In the second semi-final, Pakistan and Bangladesh will face each other.
For India, this match presents an unusual situation. The team arrived in Japan on September 20, but the training process was constantly interrupted by rain. India managed to play only one friendly match against Japan near Tokyo, where each team played five overs. Earlier, captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that bad weather creates problems with training but stressed that professional athletes cannot use this as an excuse for lack of practice.
Furthermore, India's opponent, Sri Lanka, is not in full fighting condition. Therefore, the Indian team under the guidance of Shreyas Iyer is expected to start strongly to qualify directly for the final.
In the early stages of the tournament, large scores were not recorded. Due to constant rain, the field remains moist, which may lead to a slowdown and some sluggishness on the pitch in the semi-final. Under these conditions, players, bowlers, and fielders will have to quickly adapt to the circumstances.
There is a certain relief for India: if the semi-final match on Thursday is cancelled due to rain, they will automatically advance to the final based on their first place in the ICC ranking. Sri Lanka ranks ninth. In the second semi-final, Pakistan ranks sixth, and Bangladesh ranks eighth. Similarly, if that match is cancelled, Pakistan will proceed to the final due to a higher ranking. However, if the final on Saturday is also cancelled due to bad weather, the gold medal will be shared between India and Pakistan.