Nisshin, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan in the men’s cricket gold medal match at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.
India retained the same playing XI that featured in their semifinal victory over Sri Lanka, leaving Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam on the bench.
The final marks the first-ever India-Pakistan meeting in cricket at the Asian Games. India made its debut in the continental cricket competition at the Hangzhou 2022 Games, held in 2023, but the two sides had not faced each other in the tournament until the gold medal clash.
Pakistan made one change to its XI, bringing in batting all-rounder Saad Masood in place of fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr.
India reached the final after a dominant 124-run semifinal win over Sri Lanka. Batting first, India posted 169/7, with Ishan Kishan leading the charge with 80 off 46 balls, including five sixes and four fours. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also provided an explosive start with 38 off 21 balls.
The Indian bowlers then bundled Sri Lanka out for just 45 to seal a comprehensive victory.
Pakistan, meanwhile, defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened semifinal, chasing 112 with nine balls to spare. Their bowlers restricted Bangladesh to 111/7, with Saim Ayub particularly economical, returning 1/3 in two overs.
Pakistan’s chase briefly came under pressure after Sahibzada Farhan fell early, but contributions from Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub kept them in the contest. Abdul Samad then struck 22 runs in an over from Mustafizur Rahman before Hasan Nawaz hit the winning four.
Both India and Pakistan had their quarterfinal matches washed out due to rain in Nisshin, making their respective semifinals their first matches of the tournament.
Playing XIs
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim.
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