India Rout Sri Lanka for 45 to Set Up Asian Games Cricket Final Against Pakistan

India's defence of their Asian Games men's cricket title will come down to a final against Pakistan. On Thursday at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, India beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final, bowling them out for just 45 in 9.5 overs after posting 169 for 7.

The margin tells most of the story. Sri Lanka were never in the chase, losing three wickets inside the first two overs and never recovering.

Kishan rebuilds after a shaky start

India's innings did not begin smoothly. Abhishek Sharma struck a six but was out for seven off three balls, and Sanju Samson also fell for seven. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kept the scoreboard moving with some aggressive hitting and shared a 35-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, helping India reach 58 at the end of the powerplay before the teenager was dismissed by Sri Lanka captain Sahan Arachchige.

Sri Lanka's spinners then slowed things down. Iyer made 13 from 13 balls, Axar Patel struggled to eight from 13, and Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube also fell cheaply. With wickets falling around him, Ishan Kishan held the innings together and then opened up. He brought up his half-century with a six and finished unbeaten on 80 from 46 balls, with four fours and five sixes. Washington Sundar added a late six in the final over to push India to 169.

On a surface that offered turn, it proved a far bigger total than it first looked.

A collapse inside the first over

Jasprit Bumrah set the tone with the second ball of the chase, trapping Sineth Jayawardena lbw. Sohan de Livera was caught by Samson in the same over, and Lasith Croospulle was run out without facing a ball, leaving Sri Lanka three down inside two overs.

Arachchige briefly hit back with two boundaries off Axar Patel, but the left-arm spinner removed both him and Ashen Bandara in the same over, which ended as a double-wicket maiden. Nuwanidu Fernando struck two sixes before he too was run out, and Washington Sundar dismissed Wanuja Sahan soon after. Abhishek Sharma then finished the match with two wickets in the 10th over.

Bumrah, Axar and Abhishek each took two wickets and Sundar one, while sharp fielding produced multiple run-outs and Samson contributed behind the stumps.

What comes next

India, the defending Asian Games champions, will play Pakistan for the gold medal on Saturday, an India-Pakistan final that is certain to draw a huge audience. Sri Lanka will meet Bangladesh in the bronze-medal match.

The result also adds to a strong run for India's team sports at these Games. The women's hockey team has already reached its final, where it will face China, while the men's hockey side was due to meet Pakistan in its own semi-final on Thursday.

For this young cricket squad, the semi-final showed both its depth and its weak spot. The bowling looked close to complete, with pace and spin both effective. The batting, outside Kishan, wobbled against spin, something Pakistan's slow bowlers may look to exploit in the final.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.