Ishan Kishan proves Sri Lanka’s undoing at Asian Games

India clinched a place in the gold medal match of the Asian Games 2026 men’s event with an emphatic 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second semi-final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday, October 1. Chasing India’s above-par 169, powered by an enterprising Ishan Kishan’s 80* in 46 balls, Sri Lanka collapsed for just 45 in reply. India’s win has set up a high-profile final against Pakistan, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will now slug it out for the bronze medal.

Noteworthy in the fixture was India’s sharp ground fielding which led to multiple run-outs, including opener Lasith Croospulle (0) and number four batter Nuwanidu Fernando (15) as Sri Lanka slipped to 31/6 inside the Powerplay. There was no recovering from such a precarious position.

Brief scores: India 169/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 80*, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 38; Sahan Arachchige 2-28, Tharindu Ratnayake 2-32) beat Sri Lanka 45 all out in 9.5 overs (Jasprit Bumrah 2-7, Axar Patel 2-8, Abhishek Sharma 2-2)