India Bat First Against Pakistan in Asian Games Cricket Final

India retained the same playing XI that featured in their semifinal, leaving Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam among the substitutes. With the gold medal at stake, attention will be on India’s explosive batting options, including teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, along with the experience of Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan made one alteration to their semifinal side, bringing batting all-rounder Saad Masood into the XI in place of fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr.

The final marks the first-ever meeting between India and Pakistan in Asian Games cricket, across both the men’s and women’s competitions. India entered the Asian Games cricket programme at the 2023 Hangzhou edition and had not faced Pakistan in the tournament before Saturday’s title clash.

India booked their place in the final with a comprehensive 124-run semifinal victory over Sri Lanka. After posting 169/7 on a difficult batting surface, India’s bowlers dismantled the Sri Lankan chase, dismissing their opponents for just 45.

Ishan Kishan was the standout batter, producing an 80 off 46 balls that included five sixes and four fours. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also provided early momentum with a 38-ball? 38 off 21 deliveries as India established a strong total.

Pakistan reached the final after overcoming Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-affected semifinal. Bangladesh managed 111/7 after Pakistan’s bowlers kept the scoring under control, with Saim Ayub particularly economical, conceding only three runs from his two overs while taking a wicket.

The chase briefly became uncertain when Mahedi Hasan dismissed Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan in the second over. Contributions from Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub kept Pakistan in the contest before Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz turned the match around.

Samad smashed 22 runs from an over by Mustafizur Rahman, with Pakistan taking 23 from the 10th over. That left them needing only 13 runs from the final 18 deliveries, and Hasan Nawaz eventually struck the winning boundary in the 12th over.

Both India and Pakistan had their quarterfinal matches washed out by rain in Nisshin, meaning the semifinals were their first appearances at the Games.

**India:** Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.

**Pakistan:** Sahibzada Farhan (c), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (w), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim.