IND vs AFG Match

4:45 PM IST A repeat of the final with everything at stake - Almost three years after their rain-hit Asian Games final in Hangzhou, India and Afghanistan meet again in the knockout stages of the competition, this time with a place in the semi-finals and a guaranteed medal on the line. The 2023 final never reached its conclusion after Afghanistan had reached 112/5 in 18.2 overs, with persistent rain bringing the contest to an early end. India were awarded the gold medal by virtue of being the higher-ranked side, while Afghanistan had to settle for silver. There will be no such cushion this time. The loser of this quarter-final will see their medal hopes end altogether, while the winner will move one step closer to a gold-medal showdown. India are entering the competition at this stage after receiving a direct passage to the quarter-finals, while Afghanistan have already had two matches to acclimatise to the conditions at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. India begin their title defence - India have brought a strong squad to Japan as they look to retain the gold medal, with Shreyas Iyer leading a side featuring the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah. They do, however, arrive after a much closer-than-expected contest against Japan in their one-off T20I before the Games. Reduced to a five-over-a-side match, India were restricted to 32/4 before eventually edging Japan by just two runs. The hosts' spinners caused problems for the Indian batters, providing a timely reminder that the conditions in Japan could make life difficult for even India's strong batting line-up. A warning from the warm-up - That result should give Afghanistan some encouragement, particularly with their own spin-heavy attack likely to be central to their plans. India have plenty of experience and firepower, but they will need to adapt quickly after entering the Games without a competitive fixture here. They also come into this quarter-final with a strong recent record against Afghanistan, having completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep earlier this month. Abhishek Sharma was one of the standout performers in that series, while Sanju Samson also produced a match-winning assault, although this Afghanistan squad features several younger players who were not part of that series. Afghanistan's youngsters step up - Afghanistan have used the Asian Games to give several young players an opportunity on the international stage, with Darwish Rasooli leading the side. Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Ishaq, Nangeyalia Kharote, Arab Gul and Abdollah Ahmadzai have all made contributions during their two group matches, while the experience of Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat adds some stability.  Arab Gul was particularly impressive against Japan with the ball, grabbing four wickets, while Kharote has also played an important role with his all-round contributions. Afghanistan will need those players to step up again against a much stronger Indian attack, while their batting will have to find more consistency after struggling against Nepal, which ultimately made them finish second in the table. A check on the weather - There is also a significant weather threat hanging over this game, with Typhoon Dujuan bringing heavy rain to parts of Japan and forecasts indicating a high chance of showers around Nisshin. A washout would bring back painful memories for Afghanistan, who lost the 2023 final to India without getting the chance to complete the contest; under the tournament's ranking-based knockout provision, India would again progress if this quarter-final cannot produce a result. Team form (Last 5 completed T20Is, recent first) - IND - WWWWW| AFG - LWLLL. Final word - For Afghanistan, this is an opportunity for a group of emerging players to make their mark on a much bigger stage. They have already experienced both sides of the competition in Nisshin and will now need to produce their most complete performance of the tournament. India, meanwhile, will be looking to make their first appearance count and avoid allowing Afghanistan's familiarity with the conditions to become a factor. With a semi-final place up for grabs, the margin for error is considerably smaller than it was in the group stage. By the end of the day, one side will continue its push for the podium, while the other's Asian Games campaign will come to an abrupt end.