India Set Up Asian Games Cricket Final With Pakistan After Crushing Sri Lanka

India will face Pakistan for the gold medal at the Asian Games on Saturday after securing a massive 125-run win over Sri Lanka in the semifinals on Thursday.

Match Details

India posted 169 for 7 after being asked to bat first on a pitch with uneven bounce and square turn for spinners. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a quickfire 38 off 21 balls, while Ishan Kishan played an unbeaten knock of 80 runs from 46 deliveries to rescue the innings after captain Shreyas Iyer and the top-order struggled. In reply, Sri Lanka were bowled out for a paltry 45 in 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah struck early in the first over, and spinners Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi dismantled the rest of the batting lineup.

Context

Defending champions India are fielding a strong first-choice T20I squad led by Shreyas Iyer for the tournament. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's squad featured three debutants and none of their regular players, leading to a lopsided semifinal contest where five Sri Lankan batsmen were dismissed for zero.