India has elected to bat first against Pakistan in the men’s gold medal cricket match at the Asian Games in Nisshin. This clash marks the seventh time the two teams have faced off in the final of a significant tournament, each sharing three victories to date.
India fields an unchanged lineup from their semi-final triumph over Sri Lanka. With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan forming the core, they boast formidable batting depth, stretching down to the ninth wicket. Jasprit Bumrah stands as their sole specialist fast bowler, a strategic choice given the spin-friendly conditions in Nisshin.
Conversely, Pakistan has adopted a spin-focused approach, making a solitary change from their semi-final win against Bangladesh. Saad Masood, a leg-spinning all-rounder, replaces seamer Mohammad Wasim Jr., marking Masood’s debut in T20Is. Ahmed Daniyal remains Pakistan’s only authentic seam bowler.
In a continuation of a recent trend in Indo-Pak cricket matches, captains Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan refrained from the customary handshake at the toss.
Additionally, earlier in the day, Sri Lanka clinched the bronze medal following a remarkable all-round performance by Tharindu Ratnayake, defeating Bangladesh.
India Lineup: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan Lineup: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Moqim
