Defending champions India and Pakistan have reached the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Nagoya without having to play a single ball. India were scheduled to face Afghanistan on September 28, while Pakistan were due to take on Hong Kong on the same day. However, both quarter-finals were abandoned without a ball being bowled because of persistent rain and a damp outfield.
The men in blue will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and Nepal on October 1. Pakistan will take on the winner of Bangladesh and Malaysia in the other semi-final on the same day.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were the four seeded teams in the men's cricket competition and received direct entry into the quarter-finals. The other four teams, Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, qualified for the knockout stage after finishing in the top two of their respective groups.
Under the Asian Games cricket rules, if a knockout match is abandoned without a result, the higher-ranked team advances to the next round. The rankings used are the ICC T20I rankings.
India are currently the No. 1-ranked men's T20I side, while Afghanistan are ranked 10th. Pakistan are also ranked higher than Hong Kong in the ICC T20I rankings.
With neither quarter-final producing a result, the higher-ranked India and Pakistan therefore advanced to the semi-finals.
A similar situation occurred at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. India won the men's T20 cricket gold medal after their final against Afghanistan was abandoned after 18.2 overs of the first innings due to rain, with India advancing on the basis of their higher ranking.
India and Pakistan cannot meet in the semi-finals because they are on opposite sides of the knockout bracket. If both teams win their respective semi-finals, they will meet in the gold-medal match on October 3. They could also meet in the bronze-medal match if both lose their semi-finals. India have won their last six T20I meetings against Pakistan, including three victories in the 2025 Asia Cup.