New Delhi: India advanced to the men’s cricket semifinal at the Asian Games after persistent rain forced the quarterfinal against Afghanistan to be abandoned without a ball being bowled at Karogi Sports Park on Monday.
The match was scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM IST, with the toss planned for 10 AM, but continuous rain prevented the fixture from getting underway. With no result possible, India progressed to the next stage as the higher ranked team.
The same situation occurred earlier in the day during the first quarterfinal between Pakistan and Hong Kong, China. That match was scheduled to start at 5:30 AM IST but was abandoned without a toss because of rain. Pakistan consequently secured its place in the semifinals.
The qualification rules meant the higher ranked team would advance if a quarterfinal was washed out. India entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked T20I side, while Afghanistan were ranked 10th. Pakistan were sixth, compared with Hong Kong, China at 24th.
India had been preparing for the possibility of difficult weather conditions. Captain Shreyas Iyer said before the match that the team remained focused on adapting to whatever conditions it encountered.
With their quarterfinal abandoned, India will now face the winner of the third quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and Nepal in the semifinal. Pakistan will take on the winner of the Bangladesh and Malaysia quarterfinal.
The remaining quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday, with the semifinals set to be played on Thursday.
The rain affected both of Monday’s scheduled quarterfinals, denying India and Pakistan an opportunity to compete on the field while still sending both teams into the final four based on their superior rankings.
