India, the defending champions, beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final of the Asian Games men's cricket competition in Nisshin, Japan, on 1 October. On a cracked surface that made batting hard, Ishan Kishan's 80 not out carried India to 169 for 7. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 45 in 9.5 overs. India meet Pakistan for the gold medal.
A pitch that rewarded patience and spin
Sri Lanka won the toss and bowled. They had played no cricket at the Games until this match, because their quarter-final was washed out. Their spinners found sharp turn straight away. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson were both out to finger spin inside the first three overs, with India on 24 for 2.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi counter-attacked. He made 38 off 21 balls, 36 of them in boundaries, and brought up India's fifty with a four, a six and a four off Tharindu Ratnayake. Soon after, he mistimed an attacking shot off Sahan Arachchige and was caught. Arachchige also bowled India's T20I captain Shreyas Iyer for 13 with a ball that drifted in and turned away.
Axar Patel, promoted above Tilak Varma, and Tilak himself both fell cheaply. Kishan held the innings together. He reached his fifty off 33 balls in the 17th over, survived a drop on 56 by Nuwanidu Fernando at mid-off, and hit all but one of India's four sixes and four fours in the last eight overs. He finished on 80 not out off 46 balls. Arachchige (2 for 28) and Ratnayake (2 for 32) took two wickets each.
Two wickets before a run
Sri Lanka's chase of 170 fell apart in the first over. Jasprit Bumrah had Sineth Jayawardena lbw and Sohan de Livera caught behind. It was the first time India had taken two wickets in a men's T20I before conceding a run. Lasith Croospulle was run out next, with Sri Lanka 2 for 3.
Axar bowled a double-wicket maiden in the fourth over. Nuwanidu Fernando hit Washington Sundar for two sixes, but was then run out going for a single that was never there, leaving Sri Lanka 31 for 6. Abhishek finished the match with wickets off consecutive balls, completing a team hat-trick.
The numbers behind the rout
| Figure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Margin | 124 runs, India's biggest T20I win over Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka's total | 45 all out in 9.5 overs. Joint-lowest by a Full Member side in men's T20Is, level with West Indies' 45 against England in 2019 |
| Spin share | Spinners bowled 149 of the 179 balls (83%), taking 12 wickets at 6.56 runs an over |
| Run outs | Three, two of them top-four batters |
| India's best bowling | Abhishek Sharma 2/2, Jasprit Bumrah 2/7, Axar Patel 2/8 |
India picked four spinners in their XI. On this surface that was the right call.
Next: India v Pakistan for gold
Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the first semi-final, so India and Pakistan will meet for gold on Saturday 3 October at 10:00 IST at the same ground in Nisshin. It is the first India v Pakistan final of 2026. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka play for bronze.
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Brief scores: India 169/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 80*, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 38; Sahan Arachchige 2/28, Tharindu Ratnayake 2/32) beat Sri Lanka 45 all out in 9.5 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 15; Abhishek Sharma 2/2, Jasprit Bumrah 2/7, Axar Patel 2/8) by 124 runs.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo match report · Olympics.com match report · Al Jazeera final preview (date and time)
This report was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the published sources above, and checked against the official scorecard. It is reviewed by a FairPlay editor before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.