Asian Games: India opt to bat first against Pakistan in men’s cricket final

India opted to bat first against Pakistan in the men’s cricket final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer-led India retained an unchanged playing XI, while Pakistan brought in Saad Masood for Mohammad Wasim Jr.

Nisshin: Shreyas Iyer-led Team India opted to bat first against Pakistan in the men’s cricket final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 at Karogi Sports Park here on Saturday.

The Men in Blue went in with an unchanged team for the gold medal clash, with Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam remaining on the bench. All eyes will be on the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Jasprit Bumrah as India look to defend their title.

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Pakistan made one change for the final, with batting all-rounder Saad Masood coming in ahead of fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr.

This is the first meeting between India and Pakistan in the Asian Games across men’s and women’s cricket. India started participating in the cricket event at the continental showpiece from the 2023 Hangzhou Games onwards and did not meet their arch-rivals in the tournament until this point, where they face each other for the biggest prize.

India made light work of a second-string Sri Lankan side on a challenging surface in the semifinal, registering a stellar 124-run win with Ishan Kishan and the bowlers leading the way. Pakistan, on the other hand, chased down a decent 112 against Bangladesh in the semifinal, winning by six wickets with nine balls to spare in a curtailed game.

Both teams saw their quarterfinals washed out due to rain in Nisshin, and the semifinals were their first outings at the Games.

For India, Kishan scored a marvellous 80 off 46 balls with five sixes and four fours, while teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also gave the team a strong start with 38 off 21 balls as India made an over-par 169/7. The Indian bowlers also starred as they bowled Sri Lanka out for 45 to win by a huge margin.

The Pakistani bowlers spun a web to restrict Bangladesh to 111/7. Ayub was particularly difficult to deal with, conceding only three runs in his two overs while taking a wicket.

Pakistan were given a scare in the chase when Mahedi Hasan removed Sahibzada Farhan in the second over. Maaz Sadaqat (15 off 7 balls), Usman Khan (14 off 9 balls) and Saim Ayub (21 off 12 balls) kept the scoreboard ticking with their cameos.

Pakistan were 76/4 when they got the over they needed, with Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz taking 23 runs off Mustafizur Rahman’s 10th over, with Samad hitting 22 of them. The Men in Green then needed 13 runs from 18 balls and had done the hard work. Nawaz hit the winning four in the 12th over to seal the victory.

Playing XIs:

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 (wk), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim