In Nagoya, Japan, India delivered a dominant performance against a second-string Sri Lankan side, winning by 124 runs in the Asian Games T20 cricket semi-final on Thursday. This victory secured India a spot in the gold medal match against their long-time rivals Pakistan.
Following the previous day’s impressive eight-wicket ODI win over the West Indies, India’s relatively strong squad, led by Shreyas Iyer, bowled out Sri Lanka for a mere 45 runs in just 9.5 overs after setting a target of 170 for victory. The match took place at Korogi Athletic Park under warm and sunny conditions.
Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was instrumental in the early collapse, claiming two wickets for seven runs. He dismissed Sineth Jayawardena lbw without scoring and caught Sohan de Livera behind for a duck within the first five balls. Sri Lanka’s opener Lasith Croospulle was then run out in a reckless attempt for a single, leaving the visitors reeling at three for two.
The Sri Lankan batting lineup continued to unravel with two additional run-outs, while Nuwanidu Fernando, the top scorer in the second innings, managed only 15 runs. India’s left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma also contributed with economical bowling figures of 2-2 from five deliveries.
On the batting front, Ishan Kishan anchored India’s innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls. The 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impressed on his Games debut, scoring 38 runs on a challenging cracked pitch. Kishan described the surface as “very tricky” and acknowledged the difficulty India will face in the final against Pakistan, a team known for its spin-friendly attack.
Meanwhile, in the other semi-final, Pakistan secured a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-shortened 13-over match. Abdul Samad played a crucial role with an unbeaten 30 from 15 balls, while Bangladesh’s Towhid Hridoy scored 42 runs to set a target of 112. Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim took three wickets for 26 runs.
The semi-finalists were determined based on international rankings after all four quarter-final matches were abandoned due to rain. India will now aim to defend their men’s cricket title on Saturday, three years after winning gold in Hangzhou when the final against Afghanistan was canceled because of rain and the title was awarded based on rankings.
