India And Pakistan Set Up First Asian Games Cricket Final

India and Pakistan will contest the Asian Games cricket final for the first time. Both won their semi-finals at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday. India bowled Sri Lanka out for 45 and won by 124 runs. Pakistan chased down a rain-reduced Bangladesh total with nine balls to spare. The gold medal match is on Saturday.

India arrive as defending champions. Pakistan's men have never won the title. Both came through from opposite halves of the draw. Gulf News reports the two have never met in an Asian Games cricket final before. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh now play for bronze.

Sri Lanka bowled out for 45

Ishan Kishan made 80 not out from 46 balls. India posted 169 for 7 from their 20 overs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is 15, gave the innings its start. He made 38 from 21 balls. India lost wickets through the middle order without losing control of the rate.

The reply lasted 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the opening over. Axar Patel took two more in the fourth. Ravi Bishnoi added a run out with a direct hit. Business Standard recorded the start as the first time India have taken the first two wickets of a T20I without conceding a run.

Rain cuts the first semi-final to 13 overs

Rain had already shortened the day's opening match. Both sides got 13 overs. Towhid Hridoy made 42 from 25 balls and carried most of the Bangladesh scoring. Saif Hassan contributed 19 and Mosaddek Hossain 11. Bangladesh finished on 111 for 7.

Sufyan Moqim took three wickets and Arafat Minhas two. Dawn reports their figures as 3 for 26 and 2 for 23. Saim Ayub then hit 21 from 12 at the top of the chase. Abdul Samad finished unbeaten on 30 from 15. Hasan Nawaz made 27 from 22. Pakistan reached 112 for 4 in 11.3 overs.

Shared gold if the weather wins

There is no reserve day. Gulf News reports that under the 2026 regulations an abandoned final would leave India and Pakistan sharing the gold medal. The previous edition worked differently. India took gold then as the higher seeded side when rain ended the final against Afghanistan. That mechanism no longer applies.

The handshake backdrop

The two teams have stopped shaking hands. The Associated Press reports that players have not exchanged handshakes before or after recent meetings. India's men declined to accept the trophy at the Asia Cup. India's women also did not shake hands at their continental tournament. They too refused the trophy from a Pakistani official.

Saturday in Nisshin

Both medal matches are at Korogi Sports Park. Weather has run through this tournament from the group stage onwards. Thursday produced one 13 over semi-final and one full 20 over contest on the same ground. That is the split the competition has lived with all week.

• Gold medal match: India v Pakistan, Saturday 3 October
• Bronze medal match: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
• Venue: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin
• No reserve day is scheduled