The India-Pakistan rivalry could get an even bigger stage at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the tournament draw making a meeting between the two sides possible only in the medal rounds.
India and Pakistan are the top two seeds in the men’s competition, meaning they have been placed on opposite sides of the draw. They can therefore avoid each other until the very end. If both the teams reach the medal stages, they could meet either in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off.
The same draw structure has been used for the women’s competition, keeping the arch-rivals apart until a possible medal match. The Asian Games are scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4, while the competition will run from September 17 to October 3. The women’s cricket tournament will be played first, with the final scheduled for September 22, before the men’s competition begins.
The men’s event will feature 10 teams, while eight teams will take part in the women’s tournament. In the women’s draw, top-seeded India will meet Japan in the quarterfinals. Pakistan are the fourth seeds, behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Should India progress to the semifinals, they could face either Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China.
Pakistan will begin their campaign against Thailand in the quarterfinals. If they move into the semifinals, they could meet either Sri Lanka or Malaysia. That means India and Pakistan cannot meet before the medal rounds in the women’s event either. Their only possible meeting would be in the final or the bronze-medal play-off, both scheduled for September 22.
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