Asian Games (cricket): Favorites India take on Pakistan in final
What's the story
The highly-anticipated final of the Men's Asian Games 2026 cricket event will be held tomorrow (October 3) at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. India and Pakistan, two arch-rivals with a long history of fierce competition, will face off for the gold medal. Shreyas Iyer's team is the favorite going into this match with a nearly full-strength squad and several players in form. Here we present the match preview.
Semi-final success
India defeated Sri Lanka in semi-finals
In the semi-finals, India dominated Sri Lanka, scoring 169/7 after batting first.
The Lankan Lions were then bowled out for a mere 45 runs.
This stellar performance has put India in a strong position ahead of their final clash with Pakistan.
Pakistan, led by Sahibzada Farhan, is a young side missing several star players.
However, they managed to defeat an experienced Bangladesh team by six wickets in a rain-curtailed 13-over-per-side contest.
Match conditions
Pitch and weather report
The pitch at Nisshin is expected to offer some turn and bounce, similar to what was seen in the semi-finals.
Saturday's weather is likely to be sunny with a slight chance of rain (10% probability).
The maximum temperature could reach up to 25 degrees Celsius, making it comfortable for both teams.
The match will begin at 10:00am IST and can be watched live on Sony Sports Network channels and SonyLIV (App & Website).
Head-to-head
A look at head-to-head record
As per Cricinfo, the two teams have faced each other in 17 T20Is so far.
India have claimed 14 wins, including one in the 2007 T20 World Cup bowl-out.
Only three games have gone in Pakistan's favor.
Pakistan's last international win over India came during the 2022 T20 Asia Cup.
Team lineup
Probable XIs of India and Pakistan
India (Probable XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan (Probable XI): Sahibzada Farhan(c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Ishan Kishan took charge with his 46-ball 80 versus Sri Lanka in the semi-final.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a breezy 38 off 21 balls in the game.
The match also saw Jasprit Bumrah (2/7) and Axar Patel (2/8) bowl fine spells.
Sahibzada Farhan has hit Bumrah for 51 T20I runs across 34 balls without being dismissed.
Arafat Minhas struck twice with the new ball in Pakistan's semi-final outing.
Poll
