India and Sri Lanka are battling for a place in the gold medal match of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket tournament. The second semifinal at the Aichi Prefectural Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin saw Sri Lanka choose to bowl first after winning the toss, and their decision paid off as their bowlers made early inroads.

India lost Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson inside the first three overs, but Vaibhav Suryavanshi responded with an explosive 38 off 21 balls. Ishan Kishan then took charge of the innings and scored 80 off 46 deliveries to help India post 169/7 in 20 overs.

Shreyas Iyer falls after brief stay at the crease

Shreyas Iyer came to the crease after India had already lost a couple of wickets and looked to help rebuild the innings. However, his stay was cut short after he managed only 13 runs from 13 deliveries, including one boundary. Bowling from round the wicket, Wanuja Sahan drifted the ball into Iyer before it turned and gripped away sharply.

Iyer attempted to work the delivery towards the leg side, but the ball beat his outside edge and crashed into the off stump. With the ball turning away at the last moment, Iyer had little time to adjust and was forced to walk back. The spinner’s ability to get the ball to drift in before turning away made it difficult for Iyer to respond.

Here’s the video: 

This is the AURA and Influence of the Mumbai lobby in Indian cricket. 🔥

– A mediocre cricketer like Shreyas Iyer is leading India, while a player like KL Rahul — one of greatest T20 cricketers — isn’t even playing T20Is. pic.twitter.com/wBglcwcFiZ

— KLassy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@KLassified_01) October 1, 2026

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India post 169 as Sri Lanka face early trouble

Despite the early setbacks, India recovered strongly through Suryavanshi and Kishan. Suryavanshi’s 38 off 21 balls provided the initial counterattack before Kishan produced the defining innings of India’s total, smashing four fours and five sixes in his 80. India eventually finished on 169/7, leaving Sri Lanka with a target of 170 to reach the gold medal final against Pakistan.

Sri Lanka’s chase then got off to a disastrous start. Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the opening over, removing two batters in his first five deliveries without conceding a run. Sri Lanka were reduced to 0/2 after 0.5 overs, leaving India firmly in control as they looked to book their place in the gold medal match on October 3.

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