Asian Games 2026: 'Rain No Excuse, Primary Focus Is To Play,' Says Iyer Ahead Of Afghanistan QF

Asian Games: Rain no excuse, primary focus is to play, says Iyer ahead of Afghanistan QF (New Delhi: India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I)

Korogi Sports Park: India captain Shreyas Iyer has stated that persistent weather disruptions and restricted training will not be used as an excuse by his team, adding that mental readiness and on-field action remain their sole focus ahead of the Asian Games quarter-final against Afghanistan, to be played at the Korogi Sports Park on Monday.

Heavy rain is forecast in Nisshin when India open their men’s T20 event campaign, which has raised the possibility of the game being washed out. Should adverse weather intervene, India will advance to the semi-finals owing to their higher ICC T20I ranking.

The threat of a washout is significant, with the venue having already seen its last two scheduled games being abandoned on Friday. The situation mirrors the 2023 Asian Games final between India and Afghanistan, which was also called off due to persistent rain, resulting in India securing the gold medal by virtue of their superior ranking.

"Yes, rain is there, but that is the reason we can't give up because we have decided that we are a bunch of professionals and all these hurdles will keep coming. We have to be prepared mentally irrespective of whatever the situation is going to be.

“So a decent warm up or a little knocking practice we got today and tomorrow we will try to adapt to the wicket. We will see how the weather is here tomorrow, but that is secondary. The primary importance is to come and play the match," Shreyas told reporters in a press conference on Sunday.

Afghanistan, who are yet to register a T20I victory over India after coming agonisingly close in a dramatic double Super-Over clash in Bengaluru in 2024 and suffered a 3-0 series defeat to them in New Delhi, face a tough task against both the natural elements and historical precedence.

Iyer insisted that the squad will not let weather uncertainties dictate their approach or preparation. "See, today when we woke up, we thought that we would be getting a little bit of practice sessions and knew that we would be playing on turf. But as soon as we arrived, the rain started again.

“It is not just normal rain, it's torrential downpour. So I feel we were able to maximize a little bit in terms of our warm-up and just to breathe fresh air around the stadium, and get the feel of it.

"Also on the turf, even though it was pouring a little bit, we tried to get some knocking, and the bowlers made some strides in the background in the outfield, and they bowled for a couple of hours. So we are trying to maximise the best we could," he explained.

“It is not just normal rain, it's torrential downpour. So I feel we were able to maximize a little bit in terms of our warm-up and just to breathe fresh air around the stadium, and get the feel of it.

“At the same time, I feel that you put your reasons beside and try to maximise everything that is around you in this beautiful country, Japan, and I feel everything eventually falls in the right place," he concluded.

Article Source: IANS