October 1, Kathmandu – The Indian cricket team secured a place in the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games on Thursday. In the semifinal match, India delivered an impressive performance by bowling out Sri Lanka for just 45 runs, setting up a gold medal showdown against Pakistan. Chasing a target of 170, Sri Lanka was dismissed within 9.5 overs, losing all their wickets. Nuwanidu Fernando top-scored with 15 runs, while no other batsman managed to reach double figures.
Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Abhishek Sharma each took two wickets, while Washington Sundar added one. Additionally, three Sri Lankan batsmen were dismissed via run-outs. Having lost the toss, India batted first and posted 169 runs for seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Ishan Kishan led the Indian innings with an unbeaten 80 runs off 46 balls, including four fours and five sixes. Vaibhav Suryavanshi contributed 38 runs. For Sri Lanka, Tharindu Ratnayake and Sahan Arachige claimed two wickets apiece, with Wanuja Sahan, Lasith Crospul, and Nuwanidu Fernando taking one wicket each. The gold medal match between India and Pakistan is scheduled for Saturday, the same day Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will compete for the regional bronze medal.
