India will enter the 2026 Asian Games with Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as his deputy. The Indian men's team has a blend of seasoned campaigners as well as young talents, as they look to add another medal to the tally in the T20 tournament.
India had never participated in the men's Asian Games cricket tournament before, but they made their debut at the Hangzhou 2023 and finished on a golden note. The T20 event is set to make its return to the Asian Games in 2026 after being voted out in 2018.
India's historic gold-medal debut at Hangzhou 2023
India had missed the 2010 and 2014 editions due to international fixtures. They made their debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which were held from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
India's men's and women's cricket teams returned with gold medals on their debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games. The Indian men's cricket team remained undefeated in the tournament as they won the gold medal match against Afghanistan. The women's team also won the gold medal, which was their debut at the Asian Games.
Also read: India's men's cricket team to stay separately at Asian Games 2026: Here's the reason
India wins gold medal after rain-hit final
The Asian Games 2023 men's cricket gold medal match between India and Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain. Afghanistan posted a score of 112/5 when the game was called off. India won the toss and batted first in the rain-hit match. The match result was awarded based on the teams' ICC T20I rankings as the match could not be concluded.
Afghanistan won silver medals in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, giving them the third consecutive silver medals in the men's category. Bangladesh defeated Pakistan to win the bronze medal.
Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first batter in the tournament's history to score a century on his debut against Nepal in the quarter-final match of the Asian Games 2023. Jaiswal's innings also saw him register the maiden T20I century.
India played as one of the seeded teams in the tournament. They joined Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in the Super Six. Jaiswal played an important knock for India as they advanced to the semifinals for the first time in their Asian Games history. His century was one of the most talked-about knocks of the tournament.
Ravi Bishnoi tops India's wicket-takers chart
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi bowled his way to being India's leading wicket-taker in the Asian Games 2023. He took five wickets in the tournament as a spinner. Bishnoi provided India with a reliable bowling option in their way to the final. His contributions with the ball complemented the batting prowess that helped India win the trophy on their debut.