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India will face Sri Lanka in the men's cricket semi-final at the Asian Games 2026 after Sri Lanka's quarter-final against Nepal was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday, according to Cricinfo.
The match was called off before the toss as persistent rain in the area prevented play from getting underway. Rain had started several hours before the scheduled 9 am local start and showed no signs of easing.Sri Lanka progressed to the semi-finals by virtue of their higher seeding based on the ICC T20I rankings. Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh entered the tournament as the four seeded teams. The Shreyas Iyer-led India had also secured their place in the semi-finals after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was washed out on Monday. India advanced due to their higher seeding.Pakistan similarly progressed after their quarter-final against Hong Kong was abandoned because of rain. Sri Lanka had been eliminated at the quarter-final stage in the 2022 Asian Games, losing to Afghanistan. They will now take on India for a place in the final, according to Cricinfo. The other semi-final will see Bangladesh face Pakistan after Bangladesh's quarter-final against Malaysia was also washed out later on Tuesday. The two semi-finals are scheduled to be played on October 1, with Bangladesh taking on Pakistan in the first semi-final, followed by India facing Sri Lanka later in the day. India are aiming to retain the gold medal they won in the men's cricket competition at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. India were awarded the gold medal after their final against Afghanistan was washed out, with the higher-ranked side taking the title. The women's Indian cricket team has already successfully defended its Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final to claim the gold medal. (ANI)
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