India Begin Asian Games Cricket Campaign Against Inexperienced Afghanistan, Eye Gold

India will begin their Asian Games cricket campaign on Monday against an inexperienced Afghanistan side in Nagoya, with Shreyas Iyer’s full-strength team aiming to start its gold-medal defence on a winning note.

India enter the tournament at the quarterfinal stage and are among the favourites for the title. However, adapting quickly to unfamiliar conditions at Korogi Sports Park could be crucial. While the women’s competition produced high-scoring matches, the men’s games have so far witnessed relatively modest totals.

India got an early taste of the conditions during their one-off match against Japan in Sano, where the hosts pushed them hard on a turning pitch. Since then, Iyer and his teammates have had limited cricketing activity, using the break to explore Japan. The squad travelled from Tokyo to Nagoya on the famous bullet train.

“It has been beautiful,” Iyer said in a message shared by the BCCI.

India have brought a full-strength squad, unlike their previous Asian Games campaign, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma joining Iyer. The decision has attracted debate given India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, but the team’s immediate focus is on retaining the Asian Games title.

Afghanistan, led by Darwish Rasooli, arrive with a much less experienced group. The selectors have included six uncapped players, while the team has already played two matches in the tournament. Afghanistan beat Japan but suffered a surprise defeat against Nepal, exposing concerns around their batting.

All eyes will also be on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, although he could find it difficult to break into a settled Indian combination featuring Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

With three knockout wins required for gold, India will look to make a strong start when the match begins at 10 am IST.