Nisshin: Facing persistent rain that has severely disrupted their preparation, a star-studded India will aim to blow off the rust and adjust rapidly when they take on a second-string Sri Lankan side in the men's cricket semifinals at the Asian Games on Thursday.

Heavy downpours in Nagoya have severely restricted India’s practice sessions since their arrival, leaving them with just one proper training session on Wednesday after the skies finally cleared.

While clear weather is predicted for Thursday and Friday, rain could return to threaten Saturday’s final.

Weather disruptions have already cast a long shadow over the tournament. All four quarterfinal matches were completely abandoned without a ball being bowled, with teams advancing strictly on the basis of their ICC T20 rankings. As a result, none of the four semifinalists—India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—have actually played a game in the competition yet.

Despite the lack of game time, back-to-back T20 World Cup champions India remain overwhelming favorites to claim gold. Led by Shreyas Iyer, India boast a full-strength squad and should comfortably navigate past Sri Lanka, who have fielded a secondary roster for the games.

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Pitch conditions, however, could prove tricky. The preliminary league matches produced low scores, and the damp weather is expected to leave moisture trapped beneath the surface, resulting in a slow and sluggish track.

Since landing in Japan on September 20, India’s only match action has been an informal 5-over-a-side game against Japan near Tokyo.

Before their quarterfinal against Afghanistan was rained out, Iyer acknowledged that the wet weather and lack of outdoor practice posed a challenge, though he stressed: "as professionals, it can't be used as an excuse for their performance on the field."

If rain forces another washout in the semifinals, India will automatically advance to the final due to their top position in the ICC rankings, while Sri Lanka sit ninth. In the other semifinal, Pakistan (ranked sixth) would similarly edge out Bangladesh (ranked eighth) if their match is abandoned.

Should the weather spoil the final on October 3, the gold medal will be shared. (PTI)