India and Pakistan meet for Asian Games cricket gold
India and Pakistan will contest the men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan, adding a major rivalry to a rain-disrupted tournament. India arrive with a strong T20 squad and a dominant recent record, while Pakistan’s younger side will look to a difficult pitch and emerging batters for an advantage.
India and Pakistan will meet for the Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal at Korogi Park on Saturday, in the first meeting between the neighbours at the Games. The final follows a tournament disrupted by rain, with several matches abandoned or shortened. Despite the uneven conditions, the fixture brings a familiar rivalry and a gold medal into focus.
India have selected a strong T20 squad including Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Pakistan’s considerably younger team is led by Sahibzada Farhan and includes Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad and Arafat Minhas. India reached the final by bowling Sri Lanka out for 45 in the semi-final.
Pakistan had a less straightforward route, with Abdul Samad’s 30 from 15 balls helping them complete a shortened chase against Bangladesh after wickets fell regularly. India have won the last six T20 internationals between the teams and lead their overall T20 record 14-3. Pakistan’s most recent win came in 2022.
The source material says the teams have not shaken hands since last year’s Asia Cup, while similar tensions have affected other sports meetings. The pitch could give Pakistan an opportunity. Tournament matches have featured moisture, uneven bounce and turn, with both teams expected to use significant amounts of spin.
India may rely on Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi, while Pakistan are expected to look to Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim. Farhan is a key Pakistan batting threat, having scored 57, 58 and 40 against India in the previous year’s T20 Asia Cup. India will also look for greater contributions from Sanju Samson after his semi-final score of seven.
Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi will not attend the final because of prior commitments, the ACC said. India’s T20 world champions enter as favourites, but Pakistan’s young side has the chance to turn the pressure back on them.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.