India thrashed Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second men's cricket semi-final of the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, booking their place in Saturday's gold-medal match against Pakistan. Batting first, India posted 169/7 before bowling Sri Lanka out for a meagre 45 in 9.5 overs in one of the most one-sided results of the tournament.
Kishan and Sooryavanshi set up a competitive total
India's innings was built around contributions from the top order. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 38 off 21 balls with six fours and two sixes before being dismissed, while further down the order Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 65 from 40 deliveries, striking three fours and four sixes to push India past the 150-mark. Skipper Shreyas Iyer chipped in with 13, and India eventually finished on 169 for 7 from their 20 overs.
The innings had looked set for an even bigger total at one stage, with India reaching 146 for 6 after 18 overs at a run rate of just over eight an over before late wickets slowed the scoring.
A sensational collapse hands India a rout
Sri Lanka's reply never got going. Fielding a weakened squad against a near full-strength Indian side, the Lankans were bowled out for just 45 in 9.5 overs, a total that left the result beyond doubt inside the first half of their innings. India bowled Sri Lanka out for 45 in 9.5 overs to win by 124 runs in what commentators described as an absolute rout.
Abhishek Sharma was particularly destructive with the ball, dismissing both Chamika Karunaratne and Binura Fernando in a brief but decisive spell, while Axar Patel also picked up two wickets as Sri Lanka's innings fell apart. The game ended with a team hat-trick as Sri Lanka lost their last three wickets in quick succession, with number ten batter Binura Fernando dismissed without facing more than a single delivery.
Pakistan awaits in the gold-medal match
The win sets up a mouthwatering final against Pakistan, who reached the gold-medal match by beating Bangladesh in the other semi-final on the same day at the same venue. The showpiece will be played on 3 October, with the bronze-medal match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh taking place earlier that day.
Both India and Pakistan had reached the semi-finals without playing their quarter-finals, after their respective matches against Afghanistan and Hong Kong were washed out by rain, allowing the higher-seeded teams to progress directly to the last four. India's route to the final has therefore been shaped as much by the weather as by their performances on the field, something covered in detail after their rain-hit quarter-final against Afghanistan.
Organisers have also clarified the rules for a potential washout in the final itself. If rain prevents the minimum five overs per side from being bowled, the match can be declared a no result, which in the gold-medal match would see both finalists awarded gold medals. That represents a change from the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, where India were awarded gold after their rain-affected final against Afghanistan could not be completed.
A rare meeting of Asian giants
A men's final between India and Pakistan would be a landmark occasion, as the tournament could mark the first men's Asian Games cricket meeting between the two countries. India go into the match as the defending champions, having won gold at the previous edition in Hangzhou in 2023, and will start favourites against a Pakistan side that beat Bangladesh in Thursday's other semi-final.
For Sri Lanka, Thursday's heavy defeat ends their campaign in Nisshin, though they will have the chance to collect a medal in the bronze-medal match on Saturday. The scale of the loss, bowled out inside ten overs after conceding 169 in their own innings, will raise questions about team selection ahead of that fixture.
Attention at Kōrogi Sports Park now turns fully to the weekend, with the weather forecast likely to dominate the build-up to the gold-medal decider just as it did throughout the knockout stages of the tournament.