News 12 Nov 2026
IND vs SL, Asian Games 2026 cricket: India ease past Sri Lanka in one-sided affair to set up blockbuster final against Pakistan
The Indian men's cricket team cruised into the final of the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-finals at the Karogi Athletic Park in Nisshin on Thursday. Despite losing regular wickets, India rode an unbeaten 80 by Ishan Kishan to put up a respectable total of 169/7 on the board. The Lankan chase wrapped up for a record low T20I score of 45 in just 9.5 overs. The result also sets up a blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash for the Asian Games 2026 cricket gold medal on Friday. Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the other semis earlier in the day. Sent in to bat first, India, the defending Asian Games cricket champions, made a rocky start, losing both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson inside the first three overs with just 24 up on the board. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led the counter-attack with the 15-year-old playing in his characteristic fearless approach and smashed some cracking shots. However, just as it seemed the teenager was racing towards a fifty, Vaibhav mistimed one straight to Sineth Jayawardena while trying to go after Sahan Arachchige. He scored 38, of which 36 were in boundaries, in just 21 balls. Shreyas Iyer failed to leave a mark as the India T20 captain lost his wicket after a run-a-ball 13. Axar Patel and Tilak Varma failed to reach double digits as the Indian batters struggled to deal with the Lankan spinners on a tricky surface. As wickets tumbled at the other end, though, Ishan Kishan held up on his end well. The left-hander looked in good nick and brought up his fifty in 33 balls. Dropped immediately after, Kishan eventually went on to score