Nisshin: Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 46-ball 80 on a challenging surface guided India to a commanding 124-run win over Sri Lanka in the Asian Games men’s cricket semifinal here on Thursday, setting up a gold-medal clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Asked to bat, India posted 169 for seven, with Kishan anchoring the innings and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributing a brisk 38 off 21 balls on a spin-friendly track.
Sri Lanka’s chase never took off as they slumped to 31 for six inside the powerplay and were eventually bowled out for just 45 in 9.5 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in his opening over, while Axar Patel also claimed two wickets as India’s bowlers exploited the difficult conditions. Sri Lanka’s collapse included two run-outs as the batters struggled against uneven bounce and early pressure.
The islanders will face Bangladesh in the bronze-medal playoff on Saturday, while India take on Pakistan in the final.
Earlier, India lost Abhishek Sharma (7) and Sanju Samson (7) cheaply, but Sooryavanshi counterattacked with a series of aggressive strokes to keep the scoreboard moving. The 15-year-old struck three fours and a six before falling for 38.
After the dismissal of Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (13) and Axar Patel (8), India’s scoring rate slowed before Kishan took charge. The wicketkeeper-batter paced his innings expertly, smashing six sixes and four boundaries, with most of his big hits coming straight down the ground.
His unbeaten knock ensured India finished with a competitive total, which proved far beyond Sri Lanka’s reach on a pitch offering substantial assistance to the bowlers.
