India stormed into the men's cricket final at the Asian Games 2026 after thrashing Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final.
Batting first, India posted 169 runs to set Sri Lanka a target of 170 on a tricky pitch. The match also gave 15-year-old teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi an opportunity to showcase his talent at the Asian Games level.
Vaibhav was included in India's playing XI, while Sanju Samson was pushed down the order and came in at No. 3.
The youngster made an immediate impact, smashing a quickfire 38 off 21 balls to give India the start they needed. Left-handed batter Ishan Kishan then took charge and played a brilliant innings of 80 off 46 balls. His knock came at an impressive strike rate of 173.91 and helped India post a competitive total.
India went into the semi-final without Arshdeep Singh, meaning they were a pacer short. However, the Indian bowling attack more than made up for his absence.
Bumrah's Double Blow Sets Up India Win
The real turning point came when India began their bowling innings. Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the opening over, leaving Sri Lanka in serious trouble with no runs on the scoreboard.
The first ball of the following over brought another breakthrough, as Ravi Bishnoi produced a sharp run-out to send Lasith Croospulle back to the pavilion.
Sri Lanka were suddenly three wickets down after just seven balls, with only two runs on the board. Both runs had come through wides. Sri Lanka never managed to recover from that early collapse and were forced into a catch-up game for the remainder of the innings.
Nuwanidu Fernando was Sri Lanka's highest scorer with just 15 runs and was the only batter to reach double figures. The second-highest contribution to Sri Lanka's total came from extras, highlighting the extent of their batting collapse.
India eventually bowled Sri Lanka out for just 45 runs to complete a massive 124-run victory and book their place in the gold-medal match.
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India vs Pakistan In Asian Games Gold Medal Match
India will now face arch-rivals Pakistan in the gold-medal match on October 3.
With a place at the top of the podium at stake, India will look to carry the momentum from their emphatic semi-final victory into the final.
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