Quarter-final lineup and schedule
The Indian men's cricket team will meet Afghanistan in the quarter-final at the Asian Games. Afghanistan secured second place in Group A after their match against Nepal was washed out due to rain on Saturday. Nepal, who defeated Afghanistan on Friday, finished at the top of the standings and will play Sri Lanka. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all attained direct qualification for the quarter-finals. The quarter-final between Pakistan and B2 is set for Monday, September 28 at 5:30 AM, while India versus Afghanistan follows on the same day at 10 AM. Sri Lanka will take on Nepal on Tuesday, September 29 at 5:30 AM, and Bangladesh will face B1 on Tuesday, September 29 at 10 AM.[S1]
Squads and medal prospects
Among all the participating teams, only India and Bangladesh have named full-strength squads, and the team captained by Shreyas Iyer is the favourite for the gold. In the last Asian Games, India won the gold medal under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad. At that time, the Men in Blue sent a second-string squad, but the other teams were no match for India. Tilak Varma would be serving as Shreyas' deputy in the Asian Games, and the Indian squad comprises the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Pakistan will be led by Sahibzada Farhan; however, the team doesn't have Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf or Naseem Shah.[S1]
Medal matches and possible India-Pakistan clash
The gold medal match for the Asian Games is scheduled for Saturday, October 3. The bronze medal match would also be played on the same day, preceding the final. India and Pakistan can only meet in either the bronze-medal or gold-medal match, and there's no chance of these two teams meeting in the semi-final.[S1]
