Nagoya, October 2. World champion India is expected to deliver a strong performance with its experienced stars against Pakistan’s young team in the men’s cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games on Saturday.
This match will be the most politically charged final in the history of the Asian Games men’s cricket competition. Both teams will leave no stone unturned to win on the field, and tensions are likely to remain high off the field as well. Due to the tradition of not shaking hands that began during last year’s Asia Cup, the likelihood of players shaking hands before or after this match is extremely low.
Players from both countries have been seen shaking hands and hugging each other after matches in volleyball, table tennis, and hockey. While the level of cricket in the Asian Games is not on par with top international competitions, the significance of the India-Pakistan match and the gold medal is much higher for both countries. Due to continuous rain, both teams had to enter the semi-final match directly.
Both teams easily won their respective semi-finals to secure a place in the final, meaning they only had to win two matches for the gold medal. This match will be challenging for India’s interim head coach VVS Laxman and new T20 captain Shreyas Iyer. Pakistan is led by Sahibzada Farhan, and the team includes several players who have performed well in the PSL.
However, they do not have a large number of big international stars like the Indian team. India has sent its main team for this competition, which includes experienced fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Therefore, expectations for a gold medal from the Indian team are high.
Laxman and Iyer know that even if they win the gold medal in this match, they will not receive much acclaim, but settling for a silver medal against Pakistan’s young team is not acceptable to them. The pitch conditions at Kurogi Park in Nishin City may provide an opportunity for players like Sahibzada Farhan, Maj Sadakat, Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub, and Arafat Minhas to compete and could significantly narrow the gap between the two teams. The moisture and bright sunlight on the Kurogi Park pitch are causing the ball to turn well with uneven bounce.
In such conditions, the roles of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi become extremely important. Regardless of the pitch conditions, Jasprit Bumrah is capable of making an impact with his bowling. If there is more turn on the pitch, Abhishek Sharma could also prove useful with the ball.
Pakistan will look to Saim Ayub and Arafat Minhas for spin bowling, along with Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Mokeem. The outcome of the match may largely depend on the 16 overs bowled by both teams’ spinners. In terms of batting, India has strong options like Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryaanshi, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, semi-final hero Ishan Kishan, Asia Cup final star Tilak Verma, and Shivam Dube.
In contrast, Pakistan’s batting will largely depend on captain Sahibzada Farhan. Saim Ayub is considered one of Pakistan’s talented young batsmen, but his performance against India has not been particularly impressive so far. Pakistan will also rely on Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad, both of whom played crucial roles in Pakistan’s victory against a strong Bangladeshi team featuring Liton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Towhid Hridoy.
Overall, there is not much for India to gain in this match, but there is a lot to lose. Those who know India’s interim coach VVS Laxman believe that he does not like losing at all. Teams: India: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Suryaanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (Captain), Saim Ayub, Maj Sadakat, Usman Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Wasim, Ahmed Daniyal, Sufiyan Mokeem, Abrar Ahmed, Aqif Javed, Ali Raza, Saad Masood, Haider Ali. The match will start at 10:30 AM Indian time.
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