India’s route towards another Asian Games cricket gold medal is now clear, with the defending champions set to meet Afghanistan in the quarterfinals of the men’s T20 competition in Japan.
Rain then disrupted the final group fixtures, adding uncertainty to the qualification picture before the quarterfinal line-up was confirmed. India enter the knockout stage as the reigning men’s champions. Bangladesh will face Malaysia in the fourth quarterfinal on the same day. The official Asian Games session schedule lists the men’s quarterfinals, semifinals and final at Korogi Athletic Park. The knockout stage follows an eventful group phase, with Nepal producing a notable result by defeating Afghanistan before progressing from Group A.
The team won gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and will now look to continue its title defence in Japan. The other quarterfinals will see Pakistan take on Hong Kong, China on September 28, while Sri Lanka will meet Nepal on September 29. The semifinals will be played on October 1, with the bronze medal match and gold medal match scheduled for October 3.
