Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 80 and a devastating bowling performance help defending champions storm into the gold-medal clash after dismissing Sri Lanka for just 45
Nisshin, Oct 2026 : Defending champions India stormed into the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games after registering a commanding 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in the semifinal at Korogi Sports Park here on Thursday. India will now face Pakistan in a high-profile final after their arch-rivals defeated Bangladesh in the other semifinal.
Defending a target of 170, India’s bowlers dismantled the Sri Lankan batting line-up, bowling them out for just 45 in 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma claimed two wickets each as India produced a clinical performance to move within one win of retaining their Asian Games title.
Sri Lanka’s chase collapsed almost immediately. Bumrah struck twice in the opening over, dismissing opener Sineth Jayawardena and wicketkeeper-batter Sohan de Livera for ducks.
India tightened their grip in the following over when Lasith Croospulle was run out following a sharp throw from Ravi Bishnoi. Sri Lanka were reduced to 3/2 after just seven deliveries, leaving the batting side under immense pressure.
Axar Patel then delivered another decisive blow, taking two wickets in the fourth over as Sri Lanka slumped to 18/5. The Indian fielders maintained the pressure, with Axar and Sanju Samson combining to run out Nuwanidu Fernando, while Washington Sundar dismissed Wanuja Sahan.
India continued to dominate as wickets fell at regular intervals. Abhishek Sharma was introduced into the attack by captain Shreyas Iyer, and the move proved effective. After Chamika Karunaratne was run out, Abhishek struck twice in successive deliveries, dismissing Binura Fernando and further accelerating Sri Lanka’s collapse.
Nuwanidu Fernando was the only Sri Lankan batter to reach double figures, scoring 15. The rest of the batting order failed to mount any meaningful resistance as India completed a comprehensive victory in less than 10 overs.
Earlier, India posted 169/7 in their allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first on a challenging pitch. Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 deliveries, striking five sixes and four boundaries to guide India to a competitive total.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, returning to the playing XI as an opener, contributed 38 and provided stability at the top. However, Abhishek Sharma and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson were dismissed for identical scores of seven.
Captain Shreyas Iyer also failed to make a substantial contribution, scoring 13 off 13 balls before falling to Wanuja Sahan. With wickets falling around him, Kishan took responsibility for maintaining the scoring rate and ensured India finished with a total that proved more than sufficient.
For Sri Lanka, Sahan Arachchige and Tharindu Ratnayake claimed two wickets each, but the bowlers could not prevent India from building a challenging target.
The emphatic semifinal victory sets up an eagerly anticipated India-Pakistan final. India will aim to secure a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal, while Pakistan will seek their first men’s cricket title at the continental event.
Brief Scores: India 169/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 80 not out, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 38; Sahan Arachchige 2/28, Tharindu Ratnayake 2/32) beat Sri Lanka 45 all out in 9.5 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 15; Jasprit Bumrah 2/7, Axar Patel 2/8, Abhishek Sharma 2/2) by 124 runs.
