In a highly anticipated showdown, India won the toss and chose to bat first against their long-time rivals, Pakistan, in the men’s cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games 2026 held in Nisshin on Saturday.
Indian captain Shreyas Iyer made the decision to bat after winning the toss, although there were no handshakes exchanged between the two teams, as reported by Cricinfo.
Team Updates: Unchanged Lineups
Both teams have opted to keep their lineups unchanged. India will field the same XI that triumphed over Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semifinals. The opening pair for India will be Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, followed by Sanju Samson, Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube in the batting order. The bowling attack consists of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Jasprit Bumrah.
On the other hand, Pakistan, led by Sahibzada Farhan, has also retained their semifinal squad. Their batting lineup includes Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, and Arafat Minhas. The bowling unit features Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Abrar Ahmed, and Sufiyan Moqim.
Key Players to Watch
This final marks the inaugural men’s cricket clash between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games. Pakistan will rely on Farhan, who has been a standout performer against India, boasting two half-centuries in four T20I innings with an average of 38.75 and the highest number of sixes (nine) hit by a Pakistan player in T20 internationals against India.
For India, Sanju Samson aims to bounce back after a disappointing semifinal performance where he scored just seven runs against Sri Lanka. Notably, Pakistan is the only team against which Samson has a T20I strike rate below 100, having faced them only twice.
Bronze Medal Match Recap
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka clinched the bronze medal by defeating Bangladesh by 63 runs in the third-place playoff. Sri Lanka set a target of 165/9, thanks to Tharindu Ratnayake’s explosive 65 runs off 32 balls. In response, Bangladesh was bowled out for 102 in just 17.3 overs. Ratnayake also contributed with the ball, taking two wickets, showcasing an impressive all-round performance.
He hit five sixes and seven fours, forming a crucial 93-run partnership for the sixth wicket with captain Sahan Arachchige off only 46 balls, helping to stabilize Sri Lanka after a shaky start.