Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 26 (ANI): The Indian males’s cricket crew arrived in Nagoya on Saturday forward of their Asian Games 2026 quarter-final conflict towards Afghanistan, with the Shreyas Iyer-led aspect starting its marketing campaign because it seems to be to defend the gold medal gained on the earlier version in Hangzhou.
India will face Afghanistan within the quarter-final on Monday, September 28, with the match scheduled to start at 10:30 am IST.
The Indian squad options a number of established worldwide gamers, with T20 captain Iyer main the aspect. The crew additionally consists of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur.
Former India cricketer VVS Laxman is the top coach of the crew for the Asian Games marketing campaign.
India are coming into the competitors with the goal of retaining the gold medal they gained in Hangzhou in 2023. On that event, India defeated Afghanistan for the gold after the ultimate was washed out, with the higher-seeded Indian aspect awarded the title. The crew was led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The males’s cricket competitors on the Aichi-Nagoya Games has entered the knockout stage following the completion of the primary spherical.
Afghanistan and Nepal certified for the quarter-finals from Group A after Japan’s match towards Nepal was deserted as a consequence of rain. Nepal topped the group, whereas Japan had been eradicated from the competitors.
Nepal will face Sri Lanka within the different quarter-final from that group on September 29.
Group B includes Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman, with the highest two groups advancing to the quarter-finals. The two qualifiers from the group will face Pakistan and Bangladesh within the final eight.
India’s girls’s cricket crew have already accomplished a profitable title defence on the Games, beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs within the last below Harmanpreet Kaur to assert the nation’s first gold medal on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The males’s crew will now look to duplicate that success, with a robust squad that features quite a few gamers with worldwide expertise.
Iyer, who has led Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title and captained Punjab Kings to the IPL last in 2025, can be aiming so as to add an Asian Games gold medal to his captaincy report as India start their knockout marketing campaign towards Afghanistan. (ANI)