Sports
India Crush Sri Lanka by 124 Runs, Ishan Kishan-Bumrah Shine as Pakistan Await in Asian Games Final
Ishan Kishan smashed a brilliant 80 on a difficult surface before Jasprit Bumrah and India’s bowlers demolished Sri Lanka for just 45, sending the defending champions into a blockbuster Asian Games final against Pakistan.
India are one victory away from successfully defending their Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal after producing a ruthless all-round performance against Sri Lanka in Thursday’s semifinal.
On a pitch where batting was anything but straightforward, Ishan Kishan produced an outstanding 80 off 46 balls to guide India to 169/7. What followed was even more emphatic.
Led by Jasprit Bumrah, India’s bowling attack ripped through Sri Lanka, dismissing them for only 45 runs in 9.5 overs to complete a massive 124-run victory.
The result sets up the contest fans had been waiting for — India vs Pakistan in the Asian Games gold-medal match.
Ishan Kishan rescues India on difficult pitch
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl, hoping their spin-heavy attack could exploit a surface offering significant turn.
For much of India’s innings, that plan appeared to be working.
Abhishek Sharma signalled India’s attacking intent immediately by smashing Sri Lankan captain Sahan Arachchige for a straight six. However, he departed for seven after giving a straightforward catch at short third man.
Sanju Samson also struggled to settle, scoring seven from nine deliveries before being dismissed by Tharindu Ratnayake.
Ratnayake proved particularly difficult to read, bowling left-arm spin to right-handed batters before switching to off-spin against left-handers.
But India had an answer in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi launches counterattack
The 15-year-old showed little fear despite the challenging conditions.
Sooryavanshi attacked pacer Binura Fernando with consecutive boundaries before taking on the spinners with reverse sweeps and powerful shots down the ground.
His aggressive 38 off 21 deliveries helped India reach 58/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Sooryavanshi eventually departed after another attempted attacking stroke resulted in a catch at short third man.
India then lost momentum.
Captain Shreyas Iyer managed 13, while Axar Patel contributed eight as Sri Lanka’s spinners tightened their grip on the innings.
That was when Kishan changed the complexion of the match.
Ishan Kishan’s 80 changes everything
Rather than attempting risky cross-batted shots against the turning ball, Ishan Kishan adopted a more calculated approach.
He repeatedly targeted the straight boundaries, particularly the area between long-on and long-off.
Kishan smashed six sixes and four fours during his superb 46-ball 80, providing exactly the acceleration India needed during the latter stages of the innings.
His assault helped India reach 169/7 from 20 overs — a total that looked competitive on the surface.
Within a few overs of Sri Lanka’s chase, it looked enormous.
Jasprit Bumrah strikes twice in opening over
Jasprit Bumrah wasted virtually no time destroying Sri Lanka’s hopes.
India’s pace spearhead struck twice in his opening over, immediately putting the opposition under enormous pressure.
Axar Patel soon joined the attack with two wickets of his own.
Before Sri Lanka could even begin rebuilding, the scoreboard read 31/6 inside the powerplay.
Two run-outs made matters even worse as India’s fielding and relentless bowling kept increasing the pressure.
With the ball turning sharply and occasionally behaving unpredictably off the surface, Sri Lanka’s batters simply couldn’t find a way back.
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Sri Lanka bowled out for just 45
India required only 9.5 overs to complete the demolition.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 45, matching the lowest T20 International total recorded by a Test-playing nation. West Indies had previously been dismissed for 45 against England in 2019.
It was an extraordinary turnaround considering India had initially been made to work hard for their 169.
Axar praised the team’s ability to immediately find its intensity after rain had disrupted India’s preparations and washed out the quarterfinal against Afghanistan.
“We have to perform in both batting and bowling to win,” Axar said after the match, describing India’s performance following the weather-enforced break as commendable.
India vs Pakistan for Asian Games gold
India’s emphatic semifinal victory now sets up a high-profile gold-medal clash against Pakistan.
Pakistan booked their place in the final after defeating Bangladesh earlier on Thursday.
The India-Pakistan final will be played on Saturday, with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also meeting in the bronze-medal contest.
For India, the equation is now simple: one more victory will secure another Asian Games cricket gold.
The defending champions enter the final after an almost complete semifinal performance — Kishan delivered with the bat, Bumrah struck with the new ball and the rest of India’s attack never allowed Sri Lanka to recover.
Pakistan now stand between India and gold.
