India and Pakistan Gear Up for High-Stakes Cricket Showdown at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026

The Asian Games begin in Japan this weekend with more than 10,000 athletes competing across 43 categories. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will feature some of the top athletes in the world competing from September 19 until October 4. Among them will be reigning two-time T20 world champions India, who are favourites to defend their Asian Games gold medals after winning both the men's and women's gold medals in the previous Games.

India have selected a full-strength team for the Asian Games, led by Shreyas Iyer and bolstered by star names such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah. Even though the pool of teams competing in cricket at the Asian Games is small, it won't be easy for India, as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will also be eyeing medals at the Korogi Sports Park.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been granted passage directly to the quarter-final stage. Their fellow quarter-finalists will be decided via a qualifier involving hosts Japan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Oman and Hong Kong. The highlight of the tournament will, understandably, be if and when India face Pakistan. The two nations do not play each other in bilateral tournaments due to strained political relations, though both sides participate in major multi-nation tournaments such as the World Cup and Asia Cup, with the Asian Games also falling into the category of 'approved' events.

Pakistan will field a full-strength team captained by star T20 batter Sahibzada Farhan. While there was no place for the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, up-and-coming players like Saim Ayub and Ali Raza are part of a formidable T20 side.

Asian Games Cricket Schedule

• Thursday, Sept 24: Japan v Afghanistan (4am UAE); Hong Kong v Malaysia (9am)
• Friday, Sept 25: Hong Kong v Oman (4am); Afghanistan v Nepal (9am)
• Saturday, Sept 26: Japan v Nepal (4am); Malaysia v Oman (9am)
• Monday, Sept 28, Quarter-finals: Pakistan v TBC (4am); India v TBC (9am)
• Tuesday, Sept 29, Quarter-finals: Sri Lanka v TBC (4am); Bangladesh v TBC (9am)
• Thursday, Oct 1: First semi-final (4am); Second semi-final (9am)
• Saturday, Oct 3: Bronze medal match (4am); Gold medal match (9am)

India and Pakistan are not scheduled to face each other in the opening stage, meaning their clash could well be a medal round, especially if both teams win their quarter-finals and are placed in separate semi-final groups.

Squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Abdul Samad (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

Preparations

There have been concerns about the logistical challenges of hosting T20 matches at the Games, as the venue, accommodations and facilities were deemed not ideal. However, temporary arrangements have been made and concerns addressed after reports emerged that some teams might be forced to send 'B' teams owing to below-par facilities.

India will kick off their preparations for the Asian Games by playing a historic one-off T20 International against Japan on September 22, marking the first time associate member Japan will face an ICC full member.