India to meet inexperienced Afghanistan in Asian Games opener at Korogi Sports Park on Sept 28
India will meet an inexperienced Afghanistan side in their Asian Games opener on Monday, September 28, 2026, in Nagoya at Korogi Sports Park as the tournament’s favourite attempt to adapt to unfamiliar conditions.
The match comes with India fielding a full-strength squad that includes Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel, a selection that has drawn questions from experts given the proximity to the 2027 ODI World Cup; anything less than a gold would be disappointing, especially factoring in the rocky start Iyer has had to ensure as captain post back-to-back titles in the T20 World Cup. India had a one-off game against Japan in Sano on September 22, when they were pushed by the hosts on a turning track, and while the women’s competition at Korogi Sports Park — won by Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. — produced high-scoring affairs, men’s matches here have not seen large totals so far.
The Indian players travelled from Tokyo to Nagoya by bullet train and were reported to have enjoyed the journey; “It has been beautiful,” Iyer told the BCCI website on the way to Nagoya. The squad noted that being in a non-cricketing nation has been a refreshing experience for the majority of the players.
Afghanistan arrive with an inexperienced group led by Darwish Rasooli after being beaten heavily by India in Delhi recently, with the national selectors naming six uncapped players for the competition. Afghanistan opened the tournament against Japan before suffering a surprise defeat to Nepal in the group stage, and their batting has been described in the source material as their Achilles heel; the report stated that Afghanistan must raise their game to stand a chance against India.
India begin their campaign in the quarterfinals while Afghanistan progressed through group matches; unlike some other athletes at the Games, Indian cricketers did not encounter problems checking into accommodation, with the BCCI managing arrangements and the team staying in a five-star hotel in the heart of Nagoya. Attention has been drawn to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, though the source said he is unlikely to play given India’s settled combination featuring Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
Three successive victories in the knockout phase will secure India a second consecutive Asian Games men’s cricket gold, and their immediate task is the quarterfinal meeting with Afghanistan at Korogi Sports Park in Nagoya on Monday, September 28, 2026.