Asian Games 2026: India cricket team reach semifinal, may face Bangladesh

The Indian cricket team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, has reached the semifinal of the Asian Games 2026. Monday's quarterfinal between India and Afghanistan was washed out due to rain. However, India advanced directly to the semifinal because of the team's superior T20 International ranking.

India will now play the second semifinal in October. The team's opponent will be decided by the results of the third and fourth quarterfinals, to be played on Tuesday. Bangladesh is the most likely team India could face in the semifinal.

This is the fourth time cricket has been included in the Asian Games. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, has sent its team to the tournament for only the second time.

The last time, at the Asian Games 2023, was the first time the Indian team took part in the event. India faced Bangladesh in the semifinal that year. Under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Indian team put up a strong performance and beat Bangladesh by 9 wickets.

Batting first in that match, Bangladesh scored only 96 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Among India's bowlers, Sai Kishore took 3 wickets for 12 runs in 4 overs, while Washington Sundar took 2 wickets for 15 runs. In reply, India chased down the target in just 9.2 overs, losing only one wicket.

Bangladesh's association with the "Naagin dance" is not new. It was Bangladesh's own players who started doing the Naagin dance to taunt opposition batters after dismissing them. But as their performances declined over time, the same tradition began to work against them.

Now, whichever team is playing against Bangladesh, when they beat Bangladesh, their fans are typically seen doing the Naagin dance on TV screens. So if Bangladesh face India in the semifinal, Indian fans too are likely to get the chance to do the Naagin dance.