India's Men's Cricket Team arrived in Nagwa on Saturday ahead of the 2026 Asian Games to prepare for the crucial match against Afghanistan in the quarterfinals. This match will take place on September 28 at 10:30 AM IST, and the Indian team aims to retain the championship title they won in the previous edition of the tournament in Hangzhou.
Team Composition and Championship Background
In this competition, the Indian team will take the field under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, captain of the T20 team. The team includes experienced players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaishnav Suryaavanshi, and Yash Thakur.
The head coach of this team is VVS Laxman, a former player of the Indian national team, who will strive to guide the team towards success in this tournament. The Indian team is entering this competition with the goal of retaining the championship title they won in 2023 in Hangzhou. During that edition, India secured the championship title due to a higher ranking after the final match was canceled due to rain.
How Teams Advanced to the Quarterfinals
The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games in Nagwa has entered the knockout stage, and after the completion of the first round, teams from Afghanistan and Nepal from Group A advanced to the quarterfinals. The match between Japan and Nepal was canceled due to rain, and Nepal was recognized as the group A leader by scoring the highest points. Additionally, the Japanese team was eliminated from the competition.
The Nepal team will face Sri Lanka in another quarterfinal match, which will take place on September 29. In Group B, teams from Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Oman are present, with the top two teams from this group advancing to the quarterfinals to face Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Indian Women's Cricket Team has also successfully defended its championship title in this tournament, bringing home the first gold medal for the country in the Asian Games in Nagwa with a 147-run victory in the final against Sri Lanka. Now, the men's team is looking to replicate this success with its strong lineup and experienced players.
Shreyas Iyer, who previously led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL championship and took the Punjab Kings to the IPL final in 2025, is now hoping to add another gold medal to his achievements as the Indian team begins its knockout competition against Afghanistan.
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