Ishan Kishan’s calculated 46-ball 80 on a difficult track laid the foundation as defending champions India hammered Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the Asian Games men’s cricket semifinal on Thursday to set up a gold-medal clash with arch-rivals Pakistan. Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (38 off 21) took India to 169 for seven in 20 overs on a turning track after Sri Lanka put them in to bat on winning the toss.
Ishan Kishan’s calculated 46-ball 80 on a difficult track laid the foundation as defending champions India hammered Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the Asian Games men’s cricket semifinal here on Thursday to set up a gold-medal clash with arch-rivals Pakistan.
Both the bronze-medal match and the final will be held here on Saturday. “We have to perform in both batting and bowling to win. We’ve been waiting for some days, there was a lot of rain around. It remains to be seen whether the management sticks to the status quo or there is a handshake with the Pakistan players after the game, a protocol that has been followed by athletes of other sports at the Asian Games. India and Pakistan players will have to share the podium irrespective of what happens in the final, like the women’s team did after winning gold last week. In the clash against Sri Lanka, India decided to bring Sooryavanshi back into the playing XI for the knockout game alongside Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, considering the spin-friendly conditions here. A similar tactic was employed by a second-string Sri Lanka side, who tried to spin a web around the Indian batters after opting to bowl first and were largely successful.
To switch on and perform like this after a long break is commendable,” Axar said after the match, referring to the washed-out quarterfinal against Afghanistan and the cancellation of practice sessions due to the inclement weather here. the island nation first collapsed to 31 for six inside the powerplay before being eventually bundled out for 45, which is the joint-lowest T20 International total by a Test-playing nation While chasing the 170-run target. West Indies were dismissed for the same score in 2019 against England.
The Indian players have refused to exchange pleasantries with their Pakistan counterparts in the Asia Cup and ICC events since Operation Sindoor last year to show solidarity with the Indian armed forces.
