Rain ruins India’s Asian Games cricket quarterfinal, fans left with ‘far-off view’ of players

Nisshin: Handshakes between the teams. That was the only action possible at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Monday as persistent rain forced both Asian Games cricket quarterfinals to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.Despite most of the outfield being covered, the surface remained wet and, with no sign of the sun, officials had little option but to call off the matches before the toss.India and Pakistan advanced to their respective semifinals by virtue of being the higher-ranked teams. For the sizable number of Indian fans who had travelled from different parts of Japan hoping to watch their team in action, it was a major disappointment.Rahil Yadav, who lives in Kyoto, said he had taken a chance despite the weather.“Given the weather for the past few days, I knew it was unlikely that the match would happen, but I was just being hopeful because for us Indians living here, it was a great opportunity to watch our team in action. But all we managed was a far-off view of the players,” he rued.Japan Cricket Association COO and high-performance director Alan Curr told TOI that the national federation was disappointed despite the efforts that had gone into preparing the stadium for the Games.“It is disappointing. It was hard to get things up and running here. That said, there is nothing we can do and weather is a big part of cricket. The rain is a bit unseasonable because in Sept last year it was warm and sunny. The typhoons usually blow over and we hoped the weather would hold up. We have lost three matches in a row now. We can only hope for the weather to get better,” the Englishman said.India’s semifinal opponent will depend on the outcome of the Nepal-Sri Lanka quarterfinal, scheduled for Tuesday. If that match goes ahead, India will face the winner on Thursday. Should it be washed out, Sri Lanka will advance on the basis of their higher ranking.Before the team left for the venue, they were greeted by Indian Olympic Association president and athletics legend PT Usha at the hotel.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.