India’s men’s cricket team will take on Sri Lanka in the Asian Games semifinal after the island nation’s quarter-final against Nepal was abandoned due to rain in Nagoya on Tuesday. The match at Korogi Sports Park was called off without a toss as persistent rainfall made play impossible.
Sri Lanka progressed to the last four because of their superior ICC T20I ranking. The island nation are ranked ninth, while Nepal are placed 14th.
The outcome means all four men’s cricket quarter-finals at the Asian Games have been abandoned because of bad weather. India had already booked their place in the semifinals after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was washed out on Monday. India are the defending champions and hold the No. 1 position in the ICC T20I rankings, while Afghanistan are ranked 10th.
Bangladesh also moved into the semifinals after their quarter-final against Malaysia was abandoned due to rain in Nagoya. Pakistan had earlier advanced after their quarter-final against Hong Kong was called off, with the higher-ranked team progressing.
Pakistan will meet Bangladesh in the other semifinal. Both last-four matches are scheduled for Thursday.
Rain has continued to disrupt cricket in Nagoya over the past several days. Nepal’s final group-stage match against Japan on Saturday was also shortened because of the weather. The game was reduced to 15 overs, with Nepal posting 149 for four before rain returned and prevented Japan from beginning their chase. Nepal had started their campaign with a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan.
India, meanwhile, have yet to play a match at the Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer is captaining the team, while VVS Laxman has taken charge as coach in the absence of Gautam Gambhir, who is currently with the ODI squad for India’s ongoing home series against the West Indies.
The squad includes senior players such as Jasprit Bumrah as well as 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Following India’s washed-out quarter-final, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi said the team was hoping to get an opportunity to play in the upcoming matches.
“Hopefully, in the upcoming games, we will get the opportunity to play some good cricket and show our game to the people in Japan,” Bishnoi said.
Bishnoi also spoke about the unique experience of participating in the Asian Games and said the players were keen to attend some of the other sporting events during their time in Nagoya.
“The Asian Games are definitely a different experience from the other series and World Cups. You get to see different sports and experience them as well,” he said.
