Asian Games 2026: India demolish Sri Lanka to set up men's cricket gold medal match vs Pakistan
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Asian Games 2026: India demolish Sri Lanka to set up men's cricket gold medal match vs Pakistan")
Asian Games 2026: India demolish Sri Lanka to set up men's cricket gold medal match vs Pakistan Photograph: (X/BCCI)
India crushed Sri Lanka by 124 runs to reach the Asian Games 2026 cricket final. Ishan Kishan (80*) set up 169/7 before Bumrah and Axar shot out Sri Lanka for 45 to setup a gold medal match vs Pakistan.
India have fought their way into the final of the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket event after crushing Sri Lanka. India bowled out the Islanders for a paltry score of 45 runs to win the match by 124 runs at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday (Oct 1). In the final, defending gold medallists India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in a blockbuster contest. The gold medal match is scheduled for Saturday (Oct 3).
Indian Bowlers Crush Sri Lanka in No Time
After putting 169 runs on the board on a tricky pitch, Sri Lanka lost the plot in the first over of the chase as spearhead Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets in the first five balls before giving away a run. Axar Patel bowled the next over and picked up a wicket for 10 runs. In his second over, Bumrah gave away six runs. Axar then broke the backbone of the chase with a double-wicket maiden as Sri Lanka fell to 18/5. Such was the dominance of the Indian bowlers that only Nuwanidu Fernando (15) could reach double figures, while the next best was 11 extras conceded by India.
India Batters Overcome Early Jolts to Put Up Formidable Total
Batting first, three-time T20 world champions India lost Abhishek Sharma (7) and Sanju Samson (7) in the first three overs. Teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (38) showed glimpses of his skills before getting out. Skipper Shreyas Iyer (13) was next to go without troubling the scorers much. Ishan Kishan then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls as India posted 169/7 in 20 overs.
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All eyes will be on the final match now as India and Pakistan, two rivals with a recent history of tension, face off for the first time since the T20 World Cup 2026, where India won by 61 runs in the group stage match.
